Adolescents at risk and their willingness to seek help from youth care workers. (June 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kaim, Zeev; Romi, Shlomo
• Is Part Of: Children and youth services review. Volume 53(2015:Jun.)
• Page Start: 17
• Page End: 23
• Publication Date: 2015-06
• Subjects: Help seeking -- Youth care worker -- Help sources -- Youth at risk -- Formal and informal attributes; Social work with children -- Periodicals; Social work with youth -- Periodicals; Adolescent -- Periodicals; Child Welfare -- Periodicals; Social Work -- Periodicals; Service social aux enfants -- Périodiques; Service social à la jeunesse -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.03.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0190-7409

Abstract

Abstract: Youth care workers (YCWs) are educational-therapeutic workers in nonformal community educational settings for adolescents at risk. This study examines the way adolescents at risk perceive YCWs, and their willingness to seek help (WISH) from them as compared to parents, friends, and teachers, and the variables that explain their willingness. The participants ( N = 211, age 14–18), in youth care units, answered self-report questionnaires about their personal characteristics and their WISH from each of the four sources. Findings showed that YCW was ranked lower than friends – and similar to parents – and well above teachers. The factors that explain why participants turn to YCW are similar to those explaining turning to the other three sources examined, with source identity and its nonformal attributes (e.g., proximity, reliability, and willingness to help) being most influential. Additionally, the higher one's willingness for self-exposure, the higher is their willingness to turn to the sources examined. Highlights: Their informal attributes make youth care workers a significant source of help. Complex parent–child relations drive adolescents at risk toward likewise peers. The preference to turn to likewise peers increases these adolescents level of risk. Level of self-exposure is a central element in adolescents' at risk help-seeking. Help sources' informal attributes explain variance in adolescents' help-seeking.