Help-Seeking for Australian Youth who experience Disadvantage: A Systematic Review

Background The equality of mental health care must be improved for Australian youth who experience disadvantage (YED). The unique needs of YED means that it is essential mental health help-seeking is understood through their lens.

Objective This systematic review aimed to understand (1) what is currently known about mental health literacy (MHL) for YED, and (2) identify help-seeking barriers, facilitators, and models that are relevant for YED.

Methods In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, databases were searched from October 2023 to April 2024. Included studies focused on either MHL and/or help-seeking, comprised of selected definitions of disadvantage in Australia, focused on youth aged 15-to- 24-years, and were published in English in peer-reviewed journals after 2007. All studies met quality standards appraised with the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. Narrative synthesis and SWiM guidelines were used to analyse included studies.

Results From 475 articles found, 27 studies were included in the review. Three themes were developed (1) MHL with four subthemes (identification of mental health concerns, knowledge that promotes help-seeking efficacy, attitudes towards help-seeking, stigma), (2) structural factors that influence help-seeking with two subthemes (inequitable service access and ineffective service engagement), and (3) relationships between help-seeking variables.

Conclusions Stemming from this review, the Model to Understand, Respond and Empower (MURE) was proposed. The MURE honors culture and context of YED while providing an innovative, holistic framework to understand the maintenance cycles that inhibit help-seeking. The MURE empowers researchers and multidisciplinary professionals to meet the help-seeking needs of YED and improve equality in mental health care.