Engaging Older Adolescent Boys Into School-Based Mental Health Workshops: Testing Theory-Based Facilitators and Barriers in Focus Groups

Untreated mental health problems continue from childhood and adolescence into adulthood, meaning accessible early intervention is essential to reduce long-term negative outcomes. However, there is often a reluctance to engage in mental health treatment, with considerable evidence that young men are less likely to seek help than young women. This original research study aimed to explore four areas of interest around facilitating engagement of adolescent boys to a stress workshop intervention for adolescents in U.K. schools. The areas explored were male role models, destigmatizing language, trust building, and using a transparent and collaborative approach. We also sought to understand the main barriers to engagement. To explore these areas of interest, two focus groups were run, with a total of 12 young men, over two regional sites (London and Bath). Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Participants particularly valued transparency and collaboration as strong facilitators to engagement. Building of trust was the next most popular. Use of role models and destigmatizing language were the joint third most popular methods. The main barrier to help-seeking identified was perceived threat to masculine identity (self and social stigma). Given these novel findings, the factors of transparency and collaboration and building trust as facilitators merit further research, among both adults and adolescents.