Adolescent's preferred modes of delivery for mental health services

Abstract

Background: Mental health interventions for young people are increasingly being delivered online. This is occurring due to an assumption that young people prefer online interventions because they address some of the well-established help-seeking barriers. Method: A self-report questionnaire investigating preferences for mental health care delivery was administered to a nonclinical sample of 231 young people aged 15-19. Results: The strongest help-seeking intention in response to a scenario describing symptoms of depression was for face-to-face services, followed by not seeking help at all. Only 16% expressed a preference for online treatment. Conclusion: The assumption that a majority of young people will prefer online delivery of mental health treatment was not supported, although boys showed a stronger relative preference for online modes. © 2012 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health..