Emotional connectedness and adolescent help-seeking behavior for mental health problems: A situational analysis

AI Summary

Emotional connectedness, whether close or distant, can either facilitate or hinder adolescent help-seeking depending on relationship perceptions and the problems discussed.
Emotional closeness conveys security and predictability but may feel conditional or burdensome, reducing adolescents' willingness to seek support.
Emotional distance can be experienced as unconditional and relieving, encouraging help-seeking, yet may also feel unpredictable and unsafe, discouraging support-seeking.

PLOS Ment Health. 2026 May 20;3(5):e0000624. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000624. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

Adolescent mental health problems are increasing globally, emerging during a developmental period marked by shifts in social relationships, identity formation, and growing autonomy in health behaviors. Although adolescents may access both formal and informal sources of support, many refrain from seeking support due to a range of individual and structural barriers. A deeper understanding of the social processes involved in help-seeking in adolescence is needed, particularly regarding the role of emotional connectedness and how it relates to the help-seeking process. The aim was to explore adolescents’ perceptions of how emotional connectedness influences help-seeking for mental health problems. Twenty-four adolescents, aged 15, from two schools in the south-west part of Sweden, agreed to participate in focus group interviews. A Situational Analysis was carried out in multiple steps. The results show thatemotional connectedness, distinguished through emotionally close or distant relationships, either facilitated or hindered help-seeking intention based on how the relationships were perceived and what struggles were discussed. Emotional closeness represented something secure and predictable, but could be perceived as conditional and burdensome related to help-seeking. Emotional distance could be perceived as unconditional and alleviating, thus, facilitating help-seeking, but was also ascribed to relationships where help-seeking felt insecure and unpredictable. In conclusion, depending on the context, both emotional closeness and distance may facilitate or hinder help-seeking. The dual meaning of emotional connectedness in relation to help-seeking warrants further investigation.

PMID:42160363 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pmen.0000624

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