Adolescents' mental health, coping strategies, social support and interventions: a qualitative study in Switzerland
ISSN: 1443-9883
Article publication date: 4 May 2023
Issue publication date: 12 June 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Adolescence is an important life stage including physical, emotional and social changes that make adolescents vulnerable to mental health issues. To face these emotional and behavioral problems, adolescents may use various coping strategies. This exploratory qualitative study aimed to better understand the coping strategies when adolescents face mental health difficulties, the reasons why some adolescents find it difficult to seek social support and/or professional care and which interventions they would find efficient to improve adolescents' mental health.
Design/methodology/approach
The study included 28 participants aged between 12–19 years old. Four online focus groups (FGs) separated by gender and age were performed between March and April 2021, during the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland.
Findings
The results show that several strategies put forward by participants did not include talking about their problems with others. Reducing the stigma and taking the adolescents' mental health seriously would make it easier for adolescents to talk about their problems to other people. Overall, participants considered that doing leisure-time activities and going out with friends were the best way to reduce stressful situations and mental health problems. For all aspects of health, including the mental one, it is important that policies promote the access to sports and arts activities for all the adolescents.
Originality/value
This study explored adolescents' coping strategies and their opinions on intervention for dealing with potential mental health problems, an issue that is still taboo for some adolescents.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the John Hopkins Coordinating Centre of the Global Early Adolescent Study that financed the study. This funding source designed the study protocol but had no role in its execution, analyses, interpretation of the data and decision to submit. The authors also thank the participants for having taken part in the discussions.
Citation
Chok, L., Suris, J.-C. and Barrense-Dias, Y. (2023), "Adolescents' mental health, coping strategies, social support and interventions: a qualitative study in Switzerland", Qualitative Research Journal, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 445-453. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-10-2022-0135
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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