C. Hoger, WHO SEEKS TREATMENT - DIMENSIONS WHICH IN FLUENCE UTILIZING BEHAVIOR IN THE CASE OF MENTAL PROBLEMS OF CHILDREN AND YOUTHS, Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie, 44(1), 1995, pp. 3-8
Only about 20% of all children and youths with mental disorders are tr
eated by specific institutions. Using a literature survey the author w
ill look into connections with this fact. Aside from several child, fa
mily, and institution related characteristics such as kind and severit
y of the disturbance or degree of psycho-social stress in the family t
he parents' attitude towards expert help and the subjective need to be
helped seem to be important factors which influence utilizing behavio
r. The complexity of these dimensions deem it appropriate to use proce
ss orientated theoretical concepts and multivariat statistical methods
to explain them. The subjective component is illustrated by the autho
r's own pilot study. In an exploratory approach parents' ideas and ref
lections regarding expert help were collected and evaluated with conte
nt analytic methods. Aside from other cognitive patterns it seems that
type and degree of the problems are less important decision criteria
than the family's coping abilities. In conclusion the author makes som
e suggestions on how the entitlement to be helped can be utilized bett
er.