Exploring Parent and Youth Concepts of Teen Mental Illness

This exploratory qualitative study asks: How do youth and their parents in high-poverty urban environments conceptualize, recognize, and respond to teen mental health problems? Building on over a decade of research conducted with New York City schools serving low-income families, this study uses a theoretically and empirically informed qualitative approach. Focus groups and in-depth interviews with parents and their adolescent sons and daughters are being conducted. This inquiry will further understanding of how families think about and make sense of adolescent mental health problems and identify barriers that impede help-seeking and derail pathways to appropriate treatment. Findings will provide insights into why adolescents in economically disadvantaged settings are underserved by existing mental health services, and are likely to receive treatment later than more affluent teens.