Research Information System
NURSİNG TRENDS 2024 2nd Global Submit on Nursing Education & Healthcare, Berlin, Germany, 29 - 30 July 2024, vol.0, no.0
This cross-sectional study
evaluated the relationship between
the psychosocial problems of school-aged children and their mothers’ attitudes
toward help-seeking. A total of 1008 mothers of
children attending 22 schools completed the Attitudes Towards Seeking
Psychological Help Scale–Short Form and Pediatric Symptom Checklist via online survey.
The mothers had a mean age of
40.07 years (SD 5.39), 25% (n = 252) had
previously received professional help for their child, and 48.8% (n = 492)
stated that lack of financial means was the main barrier to seeking help. The
children’s mean pediatric symptom score was 8.05 (SD 5.19), and 23.2% (n
= 234) were at risk of psychosocial problems. The mothers’ mean help-seeking
attitudes score was 70.27 (SD 7.21), indicating moderately positive
attitudes. There was a weak negative correlation between help-seeking attitudes
and pediatric symptom scores (r = -0.192, p < 0.05). The factors most
strongly associated with mothers’ help-seeking attitudes were a low number of
children in the family (β = -0.159), high maternal education level (β = 0.170),
having health insurance (β = 0.116), and low pediatric symptom score (β =
-0.171). These
results underline the need to promote mental health care in schools and conduct
experimental studies on this topic. School nurses should organize periodic events
for families promoting awareness of mental health issues.
Keywords: Adolescent, psychosocial problems, mental health promotion, mothers’ help-seeking attitudes, school nursing