NCJ Number
197222
Journal
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 41 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2002 Pages: 1182-1189
Date Published
October 2002
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study assessed the prevalence and demographic and psychological correlates of Internet use as a help-seeking resource for emotional problems in a community sample of adolescents.
Abstract
A self-report survey of 9th- through 12th-grade students (n=519) in 6 New York State high schools in 1999 examined the relationship between Internet help-seeking behavior and demographic characteristics, hopelessness, functional impairment, and use of various treatment services. Nearly one-fifth of the adolescents had sought help on the Internet for emotional problems in the previous year. At-risk youths tended to combine Internet help-seeking with other sources of help, rather than substituting it for other resources. The most commonly cited reasons for using the Internet included romantic problems, problems with friends, family problems, and academic problems at school. More than 20 percent of Internet help-seekers were dissatisfied with the help they received, and only 14 percent thought it had helped them very much. The study suggests that, in light of the Internet's growing accessibility and teenagers' propensity to use it to obtain help for emotional problems, this resource must be enhanced to meet their needs. In addition, continued research is necessary to evaluate the impact of the Internet in this context. Tables, references