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A frican A merican Adolescents and Mental Health Care: A Metasynthesis
Author(s) -
Bains Ranbir Mangat
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of child and adolescent psychiatric nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.331
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1744-6171
pISSN - 1073-6077
DOI - 10.1111/jcap.12074
Subject(s) - shame , mental health , reciprocal , psychological intervention , psychology , qualitative research , population , medicine , psychiatry , social psychology , environmental health , sociology , social science , linguistics , philosophy
Problem A frican A merican adolescents access mental health services at lower rates than their C aucasian counterparts, thus resulting in a large disparity. The purpose of the study was to understand the experiences of A frican A merican adolescents in dealing with mental health conditions and what led to or hindered their access to mental health services. Methods A metasynthesis of six qualitative studies was conducted using the meta‐ethnographic approach by N oblit and H are. Findings Four reciprocal themes illuminating the experiences of A frican A merican adolescents with mental health issues were revealed: uncertainty and soul searching, strength of the inner circle, shame and reluctance, belief in the system. Each of the themes was explored in detail through the rich quotations of the adolescents. Conclusions The findings provided an insight and understanding into the process the adolescents went through before seeking help and may aid as a framework for designing interventions to better serve this vulnerable population.