Teenagers' attitudes about seeking help from telephone crisis services (hotlines).
The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes toward the use of telephone crisis services (hotlines) among 519 adolescents in 9th through 12th grade mandatory health courses in six high schools in New York State. Few adolescents (2.1%) used hotlines and negative attitudes were stronger toward hotlines than they were toward other formal sources of help. The most common reasons for hotline nonuse related to feelings of self-reliance and shame. Objections to hotlines were strongest among students most in need of help by virtue of impaired functioning or feelings of hopelessness. The results underscore needed outreach efforts to youth.
Gould
Madelyn S
MS
Columbia University, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (College of Physicians & Surgeons), New York State Psychiatric Institute, NY 10032, USA. gouldm@childpsych.columbia.edu
Greenberg
Ted
T
Munfakh
Jimmie Lou Harris
JL
Kleinman
Marjorie
M
Lubell
Keri
K
D000293:Adolescent; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D015277:Hotlines; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009518:New York; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012752:Shame; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D000092864:Suicide Prevention