The barriers and facilitators to help-seeking: What young people in the UK Say: A systematic review

Abstract The transition from youth to adulthood is a challenging one, particularly for those with experience of the care system, mental health or youth justice services, and those with long term health needs. To identify what young people in the UK regard as the barriers and facilitators of help-seeking, we conducted a systematic search for relevant qualitative studies, the findings of which were then synthesized using a structured approach. Eighteen studies met our inclusion criteria, of which nine focused on care-experienced young people. The barriers to seeking help for health concerns included a limited understanding of service provision, stigma, finding it hard to talk about some health issues, concerns about being seen ‘differently’ and the potential unintended consequences of asking for help. The skills and qualities that facilitated help-seeking included being asked about health issues by those in supporting roles, not taking refusal ‘now’ as refusal ‘for ever’ and establishing a trusting relationship. For young people this means a respectful and collaborative relationship, evidenced by empathy and genuineness, predictability, reliability, and ‘going the extra mile’.