Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40069805›Full record

ArticleBMC health services research2025

Next stop - mental health: a qualitative study of healthcare journeys from the perspective of young adults in Sweden.

Katrin Häggström Westberg, Katerina Cerna, Mikael G Ahlborg, Julia S Malmborg, Petra Svedberg, Lena Petersson

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Article in BMC health services research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Katrin Häggström WestbergSchool of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Box 823, Halmstad, SE - 301 18, Sweden. katrin.haggstrom_westberg@hh.se.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1324-558X
Katerina CernaSchool of Information Technology, Halmstad University, Box 823, Halmstad, SE-301 18, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8796-343X
Mikael G AhlborgSchool of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Box 823, Halmstad, SE - 301 18, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0969-1288
Julia S MalmborgSchool of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Box 823, Halmstad, SE - 301 18, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9918-461X
Petra SvedbergSchool of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Box 823, Halmstad, SE - 301 18, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4438-6673
Lena PeterssonSchool of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University, Box 823, Halmstad, SE - 301 18, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7874-7970

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHelp-seeking for mental health problems is a complex process that involves handling both personal challenges and dealing with the organizational structure of the healthcare system. The healthcare system is siloed and fragmented, but it is unclear how the challenges are experienced by the young adults and what their healthcare journeys look like. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore experiences of young adults' healthcare journeys in the context of help-seeking for common mental health problems.

methodsIn total, 25 young adults (16 women and 9 men) from a student healthcare centre at a Swedish university seeking help for common mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, were interviewed. A qualitative thematic analysis with an inductive approach was done, and results were abstracted and presented in terms of journey-related metaphors.

resultsThe healthcare journeys of young adults were described as Taxi Riding, Commuting, Sightseeing, and Backpacking. Taxi riding and Commuting are defined by going in a straightforward and smooth way in the healthcare system, without major obstacles to care. In contrast, Sightseeing and Backpacking are characterized by more diffuse and negative experiences, where the young adults are not satisfied with the help received from healthcare providers. Help-seeking is not conformant with the design of the healthcare system but steered by a range of factors, including individual experiences and young adults' agency, the available resources at the various healthcare providers, and interaction with healthcare professionals.

conclusionsYoung adults' healthcare journeys in the context of help-seeking for common mental health problems are related to individual, relational, and organizational factors. Some journeys run smoothly, epitomizing a functioning healthcare system that accommodates a rational help-seeker. Other journeys depict a rigid healthcare system, where the success and nature of the journey primarily depend on individual agency and on not becoming discouraged by obstacles. There is a need for more knowledge on how to support young adults' mental health help-seeking. However, we also need more insights into how the healthcare system can become more receptive and accommodating toward the needs of young adults with common mental health problems.

Indexed as

Mental DisordersMental Health ServicesPatient Acceptance of Health CareAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMaleQualitative ResearchSwedenYoung AdultAgencyHealthcare journeysHelp-seekingMental healthMetaphorsQualitativeYoung adults

Identifiers

PMID40069805
PMCPMC11900026

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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.