A Systematic Review of Help-Seeking Interventions for Parents of Adolescents

Purpose: Parents do not always seek timely help for adolescents when the need arises. Although interventions to increase parental help-seeking have been evaluated and published, no systematic review of these interventions has been conducted. The aim of this systematic review is to collate, synthesise, and evaluate research on help-seeking interventions for parents of adolescents. Methods: Six electronic databases were searched from inception to May 2020 using terms related to the concepts of “parent” and “help-seeking” and focusing on parents of adolescents (aged 10–19 years). Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies; the Behavioural Change Taxonomy was used to code behavioral change techniques, and “promising interventions” were identified using pre-established criteria. Results: Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria, with six rated strong for design and methodology. The most frequently identified Behavioural Change Taxonomies included a credible source delivering the intervention, supporting parents, and providing prompts/cues regarding services/appointments. Four interventions were identified as “promising” because of strong methodology, significant positive outcomes, and strong evidence-base. Conclusions: More high-quality, theory-driven parental help-seeking interventions using common outcome measures are needed to advance the literature in this area. Future research should replicate the promising interventions identified to develop best practice guidelines.