Worsening depressive symptoms decrease subsequent help-seeking intentions in adolescents

One in four adolescents are reported to have depressive symptoms. However, most adolescents with depressive symptoms do not receive appropriate care. Cross-sectional studies have observed an association between depressive symptoms and help-seeking intentions among adolescents, suggesting a possibility that adolescents with depressive symptoms have difficulties seeking help for their symptoms. This is the first study aiming to examine longitudinal relationships between antecedent depressive symptoms and subsequent help-seeking intentions among adolescents using data obtained from a population-based birth cohort study in Tokyo, Japan (Tokyo Teen Cohort).

In the Tokyo Teen Cohort, we assessed help-seeking intentions and depressive symptoms among adolescents at four time points, each with a two-year interval (10y, 12y, 14y, and 16y). We examined longitudinal relationships between the two variables using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model. Subsequently, we found that antecedent worsening depressive symptoms decrease subsequent help-seeking intentions across all time points (10y–12y, 12y–14y, and 14y–16y) (Image).

This is the first study reporting that worsening depressive symptoms decrease subsequent help-seeking intentions, highlighting the social need for adults who are close to adolescents experiencing mental health difficulties to provide them with proactive support. This result also indicates that creating a supportive environment is crucial to encourage adolescents to disclose their psychological distress to adults without hesitation.