Barriers to Young People Seeking Help for Trauma: A Qualitative Analysis of Internet Forums

Abstract

Objective: Exposure to trauma is common in childhood and adolescence and is associated with significant psychopathology. Despite being amenable to treatment, many young people suffering traumarelated distress do not disclose or seek help. Multiple barriers to young people help seeking for mental health concerns have been identified, but very little research has focused on help seeking after trauma exposure. We undertook a qualitative analysis of Internet forums in which young people discuss trauma, aiming to understand the barriers preventing them from disclosing and seeking help offline. Method: Posts about trauma written in 2016 from five Internet forums targeting young people were analyze..