Help-seeking attitudes among Arab and Jewish adolescents in Israel

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study set out to explore the impact of ethnicity, gender, age and subjective well-being on help-seeking attitudes among Arab and Jewish adolescents in Israel. The sample comprised 395 Arab and 360 Jewish 7th- and 11th-grade pupils who were selected from six Arab and six Jewish schools in the north of Israel. The participants completed a self-report help-seeking questionnaire and an inventory measuring subjective well-being. Quantitative analyses testing the research hypotheses revealed that Arab youths were more willing to seek help from formal sources. Gender was differentially related to help-seeking in both ethnic groups, while age and subjective well-being yielded similar predictions among Arab and Jewish youths. Content analysis of the reasons for the decision to seek help revealed emotion-oriented and cognitive-oriented factors in both groups. Theoretical implications of the interaction between socio-cultural and psychological factors are discussed and practical implications are presented.