Abstract
Rural African American children living in poverty have a higher prevalence rate of mental health disorders than their urban
counterparts. While access to mental health services is lacking in resource scarce rural communities, African American rural
residents may also be the most likely to confront significant barriers to care and help-seeking. Studies of mental health
help-seeking behavior among rural families are rare, even rarer are studies of African Americans living in these areas. To
address this gap, the current study examined perceptions about help-seeking for adolescents with mental health problems among
rural African American families. Data were obtained from African American mothers in rural Georgia to assess their perceptions
of the mental health service system, help-seeking processes, and service experiences. A mixed-method approach was implemented,
integrating a quantitative survey (n = 163) with qualitative interviews (subsample n = 21). Most of the mothers expressed
confidence in mental health care providers’ to help. Preferred sources of support, however, were family, church, and schools.
Community stigma towards children with mental health problems and their families was a frequently endorsed perceived barrier
to help-seeking. Although cultural mistrust was one of the two most frequently endorsed barriers in the survey, it did not
emerge as a universal barrier to help-seeking for the mothers in this sample. Implications for research, policy, and practice
include addressing family concerns about stigma, preferences for informal support and non-specialty services in addressing
adolescents’ mental health problems, and building community resources to enable all youth to participate in community life.
counterparts. While access to mental health services is lacking in resource scarce rural communities, African American rural
residents may also be the most likely to confront significant barriers to care and help-seeking. Studies of mental health
help-seeking behavior among rural families are rare, even rarer are studies of African Americans living in these areas. To
address this gap, the current study examined perceptions about help-seeking for adolescents with mental health problems among
rural African American families. Data were obtained from African American mothers in rural Georgia to assess their perceptions
of the mental health service system, help-seeking processes, and service experiences. A mixed-method approach was implemented,
integrating a quantitative survey (n = 163) with qualitative interviews (subsample n = 21). Most of the mothers expressed
confidence in mental health care providers’ to help. Preferred sources of support, however, were family, church, and schools.
Community stigma towards children with mental health problems and their families was a frequently endorsed perceived barrier
to help-seeking. Although cultural mistrust was one of the two most frequently endorsed barriers in the survey, it did not
emerge as a universal barrier to help-seeking for the mothers in this sample. Implications for research, policy, and practice
include addressing family concerns about stigma, preferences for informal support and non-specialty services in addressing
adolescents’ mental health problems, and building community resources to enable all youth to participate in community life.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-14
- DOI 10.1007/s10964-010-9627-1
- Authors
- Velma McBride Murry, Department of Human and Organizational Development, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
- Craig Anne Heflinger, Department of Human and Organizational Development, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
- Sarah V. Suiter, Department of Human and Organizational Development, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN USA
- Gene H. Brody, Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
- Journal Journal of Youth and Adolescence
- Online ISSN 1573-6601
- Print ISSN 0047-2891