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ViewAttendees 6

Symposia

Mental Health Disparities

Understanding and Addressing Structural Stressors Impacting Youth Mental Health through Novel, Affirming Interventions

1 - (SYM 3) My Family Won't Let Me. Adolescent-reported Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Care

Friday, November 21, 2025
10:05 AM - 10:22 AM CST
Location: Strand 1, Level 2
Keywords: Mental Health Disparities, Treatment Development, Adolescents
Recommended Readings: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report: 2011-2021. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.,   Lipson, S. K., Zhou, S., Abelson, S., Heinze, J., Jirsa, M., Morigney, J., Patterson, A., Singh, M., & Eisenberg, D. (2022). Trends in college student mental health and help-seeking by race/ethnicity: Findings from the national healthy minds study, 2013-2021. Journal of Affective Disorders, 306, 138–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2022.03.038,   Ramos, G., & Chavira, D. A. (2022). Use of Technology to Provide Mental Health Care for Racial and Ethnic Minorities: Evidence, Promise, and Challenges. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 29(1), 15–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2019.10.004,   Ringle, V. A. M., Sung, J. Y., Roulston, C. A., & Schleider, J. L. (2024). Mixed-methods examination of adolescent-reported barriers to accessing mental health services. Journal of Adolescent Health, 74(2), 268–276.,   Zimmerman, A., Garman, E., Avendano-Pabon, M., Araya, R., Evans-Lacko, S., McDaid, D., Park, A.-L., Hessel, P., Diaz, Y., Matijasevich, A., Ziebold, C., Bauer, A., Paula, C. S., & Lund, C. (2021). The impact of cash transfers on mental health in children and young people in low-income and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Global Health, 6(4), e004661. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004661
Abstract Body
Depression is the leading cause of disability among adolescents. Fewer than 50% of youth with depression access mental healthcare services. In this presentation, I will discuss methods, findings, and implications of a mixed-methods study characterizing youths’ self-reported barriers to accessing mental healthcare in a socio-demographically diverse sample of 123 United States adolescents (ages 13–16, identifying as Asian (n = 19), Hispanic (n = 23), Black (n = 7), White (n = 65), or other race (n = 9); man (n = 9), woman (n = 58), or gender minority (n = 56); heterosexual (n = 19) or sexual orientation minority (n = 104)). All participants were experiencing elevated depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-2 score of ≥2) and endorsed wanting mental health support but being unable to access it. Participants were asked an open-ended question gauging perceived barriers to accessing care (“what has kept you from getting support when you wanted it?”), and a binary item gauging perceived current need for mental health support (“right now, do you feel that you need support for emotional or mental health problems?”). In this presentation, I will discuss qualitative results from a thematic analysis of responses to the perceived barriers question. A total of 13 categories of barriers were identified. I will also discuss quantitative results from Chi-square analyses examining rates of endorsing specific barriers as a function of (a) perceived current support need and (b) demographic variables (e.g. race/ethnicity, gender). Implications for increasing mental healthcare access for adolescents with elevated depression symptoms will be discussed.