Network Influence on Af.Amer. Adolescents MH Service Use

描述（由申请人提供）：本论文研究将审查 患有抑郁症的非洲裔美国青少年男性如何寻求帮助。委员会将提请 基于网络-情节模型（Pescosolido，1991）的概念，探索如何 他们的社交网络可能会影响他们对这种情况的反应。 非洲裔美国青少年男性，特别是那些在城市环境中，可能是 有更高的抑郁风险（杜兰特，Gandy，Cadenhead等，1995年），但 许多人得不到照顾。我们需要探究原因。我们知道 一般来说，非洲裔美国人更有可能使用非正式的支持， 而不是精神健康机构，我们知道， 非裔美国青少年男性在少年司法中更常见 他们的心理健康需求可能得不到解决的系统。无论 原因是，这是一个有严重未满足需求的人口。为了更好地帮助他们，我们 需要了解他们对自己问题的看法，可用的解决方案 对他们，他们现有的支持，以及他们的态度和行为， 正式和非正式的求助。 这项横断面、探索性/描述性研究将结合联合收割机的定量分析， 方法和定性访谈来研究社交网络 在促进使用或不使用正式和非正式精神卫生保健方面发挥作用 60名低收入、抑郁的非裔美国男性，14-18岁。 这些受试者将从四个门诊心理健康机构招募 （“治疗中”样本）和一个帮助高危青少年的计划 （“非治疗”样本）在匹兹堡社区。本研究旨在 确定：（1）社交网络如何影响他们的求助，什么 社会网络特征区分抑郁症，非裔美国人 青少年男性谁是在正式的心理健康治疗，从那些没有 治疗，以及人口统计学和其他背景特征 区分这两个群体;（2）识别使用的过程 抑郁的非洲裔美国青少年男性，构成了正式的途径， 和/或非正式护理。 这项研究是独一无二的，它检查了这些人的社交网络如何 非洲裔美国青年影响他们的求助行为和途径， 正式或非正式的护理。这项研究代表了第一步 研究者发展外联和参与的长期职业目标 抑郁的非裔美国青少年男性的策略。

DESCRIPTION (Provided by applicant): This dissertation research will examine how African-American adolescent males with depression seek help. It will draw upon concepts from the Network-Episode Model (Pescosolido, 1991) to explore how their social networks might influence their response to this condition. African-American adolescent males, particularly those in urban settings, may be at higher risk for depression (Durant, Getts, Cadenhead, et al., 1995), yet many are not receiving care. We need to explore why. We do know that African-Americans in general are more likely to use informal supports and social agencies than mental health facilities, and we do know that African-American adolescent males are more often found in juvenile justice systems where their mental health needs may go unaddressed. Whatever the reasons, this is a population with serious unmet needs. To better help them, we need to understand their perceptions of their problems, the solutions available to them, their existing supports, and their attitudes and behaviors about formal and informal help seeking. This cross-sectional, exploratory/descriptive study will combine quantitative methods and qualitative interviews to examine the role that social networks play in facilitating use or non-use of formal and informal mental health care among sixty, low-income, depressed African-American males, 14-18 years old. These subjects will be recruited from four outpatient mental health settings ("in-treatment" sample) and a program that assists high-risk youth ("not-in-treatment" sample) in the Pittsburgh community. This study aims to determine: (1) how the social networks influence their help-seeking, what social network characteristics differentiate depressed, African-American adolescent males who are in formal mental health treatment from those not in treatment, and what demographic and other background characteristics differentiate these two groups; and (2) to identify the processes used by depressed African American adolescent males that constitute pathways to formal and/or informal care. This study is unique in its examination of how the social networks of these African-American youths impact their help-seeking behaviors and pathways into formal or informal care. This study represents a first step in the Investigator's long-term career goal of developing outreach and engagement strategies for depressed, African-American adolescent males.