Family determinants of mental health in middle adolescence

Adolescence is a period of life with a potential to prevention of both current impairment and future illness; and promoting successful development into productive adulthood. Middle adolescence (ages 14–17) is associated with changes both in family relationships and prevalence of mental problems possibly affecting the significance of family determinants in predicting maladjustment. The pathway from childhood to adolescence and the determinants affecting mental health may be different among boys and girls. Survey data from two large studies on community adolescents was utilised to explore, whether family factors are specific or general risk factors of adolescent maladjustment, whether the associations between family factors and maladjustment are similar in boys and girls, and whether the parents are significantly involved in help-seeking for depression in middle adolescence.