Overcoming barriers to reach for a helping hand : Adolescent boys' experience of visiting the public health nurse for mental health problems

• Mental health problems among adolescents have become a public health issue in Norway. However, few adolescent boys seek help for their mental health problems. This study focus on adolescent boys' experiences related to visiting the public health nurse for mental health problems. Twelve adolescent boys were interviewed and qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. The theme identified from the data was: overcoming barriers to reach for a helping hand. The theme consisted of four categories: the public health nurse must be accessible; breaking the norm is a prerequisite for the adolescent boys to talk about mental health problems; ensuring that confidentiality is respected; and the public health nurse is a trustworthy person who can open up for new perspectives. The adolescent boys experienced barriers to visiting the public health nurse. When they had crossed these barriers, the visit was experienced as positive.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Adolescent

boy

content analysis

mental health problems

public health nurse

school health service

Nursing Science

Omvårdnad

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)