Oh Elizabeth, Jorm Anthony F, Wright Annemarie
ORYGEN Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Locked Bag 10, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia.
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2009 Apr;44(4):293-9. doi: 10.1007/s00127-008-0443-9. Epub 2008 Oct 1.
Despite the high risk of developing a mental disorder during adolescence, many young people fail to receive appropriate treatment from mental health professionals. Recent studies have found certain mental health information websites have improved mental health literacy and reduced symptoms of depression. However, studies exploring young people's perceptions of such resources still remain scarce. The current paper compared young people's preference for a website with self-help books and two face-to-face services-counselling and mental health services. The factors associated with believing in the perceived helpfulness of each intervention were also explored.
A national telephone survey was carried out with 3,746 people aged 12-25 years and 2005 co-resident parents. Perceived helpfulness of each intervention was assessed in relation to four vignettes (depression, social phobia, psychosis and depression with alcohol misuse).
Approximately 71% of respondents rated websites and books as likely to be helpful, which was less than for counselling, but more than for mental health services. Predictors of rating a website as likely to be helpful were older age (18-25 years), belief in seeking help, less social distance from peers like the one in the vignette, and being presented with the vignettes depicting either social phobia or depression with alcohol misuse. Predictors of rating a book as helpful included belief in seeking help, awareness of the national depression initiative beyondblue, less social distance, being presented with the social phobia vignette, and the belief that the person in the vignette is 'weak not sick'.
Most young people are open to the idea of accessing mental health information online, especially for disorders that are often perceived as behavioural problems. These young people also believe in help-seeking in general and are more willing to associate with peers who have mental health problems.
尽管青少年时期患精神障碍的风险很高，但许多年轻人未能从心理健康专业人员那里获得适当的治疗。最近的研究发现，某些心理健康信息网站提高了心理健康素养并减轻了抑郁症状。然而，探索年轻人对这类资源看法的研究仍然很少。本文比较了年轻人对一个网站与自助书籍以及两种面对面服务（咨询和心理健康服务）的偏好。还探讨了与相信每种干预措施有帮助相关的因素。
对3746名12至25岁的人和2005名同住的父母进行了全国性电话调查。根据四个 vignette（抑郁症、社交恐惧症、精神病和伴有酒精滥用的抑郁症）评估了每种干预措施的感知帮助程度。
约71%的受访者认为网站和书籍可能有帮助，这一比例低于咨询，但高于心理健康服务。将网站评为可能有帮助的预测因素包括年龄较大（18至25岁）、相信寻求帮助、与 vignette 中的同龄人社交距离较小，以及看到描绘社交恐惧症或伴有酒精滥用的抑郁症的 vignette。将书籍评为有帮助的预测因素包括相信寻求帮助、了解 beyondblue 全国抑郁症倡议、社交距离较小、看到社交恐惧症 vignette，以及认为 vignette 中的人“软弱而非生病”。
大多数年轻人对在线获取心理健康信息的想法持开放态度，尤其是对于那些通常被视为行为问题的疾病。这些年轻人总体上也相信寻求帮助，并且更愿意与有心理健康问题的同龄人交往。
