Adolescents at risk and their willingness to seek help from youth care workers

Youth care workers (YCWs) are educational-therapeutic workers in nonformal community educational settings for adolescents at risk. This study examines the way adolescents at risk perceive YCWs, and their willingness to seek help (WISH) from them as compared to parents, friends, and teachers, and the variables that explain their willingness. The participants (N = 211, age 14-18), in youth care units, answered self-report questionnaires about their personal characteristics and their WISH from each of the four sources. Findings showed that YCW was ranked lower than friends - and similar to parents - and well above teachers. The factors that explain why participants turn to YCW are similar to those explaining turning to the other three sources examined, with source identity and its nonformal attributes (e.g., proximity, reliability, and willingness to help) being most influential. Additionally, the higher one's willingness for self-exposure, the higher is their willingness to turn to the sources examined.