SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2019
Young People's Online Help-Seeking and Mental Health Difficulties: Systematic Narrative Review.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05912439 (Smartphone Based Health Behaviour Intervention for Adolescents; Usage and Daily Attrition Rates.), which is not on this map. Cited by 211 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Smartphone Based Health Behaviour Intervention for Adolescents; Usage and Daily Attrition Rates.
Who cites it
211 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Mental health problems among ethnic minorities during public crises: a systematic review of coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Digital Mental Health Interventions for the Prevention and Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- The Acceptability, Engagement, and Feasibility of Mental Health Apps for Marginalized and Underserved Young People: Systematic Review and Qualitative Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Outcomes of Best-Practice Guided Digital Mental Health Interventions for Youth and Young Adults with Emerging Symptoms: Part I. A Systematic Review of Socioemotional Outcomes and Recommendations.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Online and Remote Interventions for Mental Health in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR mental health · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of resilience-promoting interventions in adolescents with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2023Pooled it
- Effectiveness of digital mental health interventions for university students: an umbrella review.PeerJ · 2022Pooled it
- Social Media Use for Health Purposes: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Acceptability, Feasibility, and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Mobile App for Teens With or at High Risk for Eating Disorders: A Three-Arm Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Self-Help, Guided Self-Help, and Guided Self-Help With a Social Networking Component.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Trial
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of a 7-week minimal guided and unguided cognitive behavioral therapy-based stress-management APP for students.BMC public health · 2025Trial
- Wearable Intervention for Alcohol Use Risk and Sleep in Young Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2025Trial
- Examining the Effectiveness of a Digital Media Campaign at Reducing the Duration of Untreated Psychosis in New York State: Results From a Stepped-wedge Randomized Controlled Trial.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2024Trial
- "Influencing the influencers:" a field experimental approach to promoting effective mental health communication on TikTok.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Usage and Daily Attrition of a Smartphone-Based Health Behavior Intervention: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Trial
- Evaluating the Efficacy of a Social Media-Based Intervention (Warna-Warni Waktu) to Improve Body Image Among Young Indonesian Women: Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Trial
- Trial
- Psychological Distress as a Mediator of the Association Between Racism-based Police Violence and Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Black and Hispanic Emerging Adults.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2026Article
- AI Use for Mental Health Information and Professional Psychological Help-Seeking Intentions Among Saudi Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Emerging Adults' Experiences of Digital Measurement-Based Care in Routine Mental Health Care: Qualitative Study and Conceptual Synthesis.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- How do Artificial Intelligence chatbots respond to questions from adolescent personas about their eating, body weight or appearance?Child and adolescent mental health · 2026Article
151 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundYoung people frequently make use of the internet as part of their day-to-day activities, and this has extended to their help-seeking behavior. Offline help-seeking is known to be impeded by a number of barriers including stigma and a preference for self-reliance. Online help-seeking may offer an additional domain where young people can seek help for mental health difficulties without being encumbered by these same barriers.
objectiveThe objective of this systematic literature review was to examine young peoples' online help-seeking behaviors for mental health concerns. It aimed to summarize young peoples' experiences and identify benefits and limitations of online help-seeking for this age group. It also examined the theoretical perspectives that have been applied to understand online help-seeking.
methodsA systematic review of peer-reviewed research papers from the following major electronic databases was conducted: PsycINFO, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library, and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Xplore. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. The search was conducted in August 2017. The narrative synthesis approach to reviews was used to analyze the existing evidence to answer the review questions.
resultsOverall, 28 studies were included. The most common method of data collection was through the use of surveys. Study quality was moderate to strong. Text-based query via an internet search engine was the most commonly identified help-seeking approach. Social media, government or charity websites, live chat, instant messaging, and online communities were also used. Key benefits included anonymity and privacy, immediacy, ease of access, inclusivity, the ability to connect with others and share experiences, and a greater sense of control over the help-seeking journey. Online help-seeking has the potential to meet the needs of those with a preference for self-reliance or act as a gateway to further help-seeking. Barriers to help-seeking included a lack of mental health literacy, concerns about privacy and confidentiality, and uncertainty about the trustworthiness of online resources. Until now, there has been limited development and use of theoretical models to guide research on online help-seeking.
conclusionsApproaches to improving help-seeking by young people should consider the role of the internet and online resources as an adjunct to offline help-seeking. This review identifies opportunities and challenges in this space. It highlights the limited use of theoretical frameworks to help conceptualize online help-seeking. Self-determination theory and the help-seeking model provide promising starting points for the development of online help-seeking theories. This review discusses the use of these theories to conceptualize online help-seeking and identify key motivations and tensions that may arise when young people seek help online.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.