Although a considerable body of research has looked at factors underlying mental health help-seeking behaviors, many facets of this pathway have received only marginal attention, particularly for internalizing concerns in children. Moreover, caregivers and culture can exert a pronounced influence on family dynamics, conferring values and beliefs that can facilitate or inhibit help-seeking. In a two-group study of international (n = 20) and domestic (n = 20) families, we sought to determine whether parental and cultural factors could differentially predict children's tendency to disclose, withhold, or mask internalizing (i.e., anxiety and depression) symptoms. Caregivers completed a battery of measures while children completed self-report questionnaires and an interactive activity to assess disclosure propensity. Results indicate that parenting and attitudinal factors are not necessarily implicated in predicting children's decisions for both anxiety and depression, and irrespective of cultural background. However, among international families, children's inclination toward disclosure of anxiety-related concerns reflected significant cultural influences (Wilks' λ = .386, Chi-square = 15.230, df = 6, Canonical correlation = .729, p = .019). Caregiver acculturation in particular was found to account for 84.2% of the variance, with children of less acculturated parents being more likely to mask as opposed to disclose or withhold. / Master of Science / Although a considerable body of research has looked at factors underlying mental health helpseeking behaviors, many facets of this pathway have received only marginal attention, particularly for internalizing (i.e., anxiety and depression) concerns in children. Moreover, caregivers and culture can exert a pronounced influence on family dynamics, conferring values and beliefs that can facilitate or inhibit help-seeking (Cauce et al., 2002). In a two-group study of international (<i>n</i> = 20) and domestic (<i>n</i> = 20) families, we sought to determine whether parental and cultural factors could differentially predict children’s tendency to disclose, withhold, or mask internalizing symptoms. Caregivers and children completed self-report questionnaires while children also went through an interactive story-based activity to assess disclosure propensity. Results indicate that parental styles and caregiver attitudes are not necessarily implicated in predicting children’s decisions for both anxiety and depression, and irrespective of cultural background. However, among international families, children’s inclination toward disclosure of anxiety-related concerns reflected significant cultural influences (Wilks’λ = .386, Chi-square = 15.230, <i>df</i> = 6, Canonical correlation = .729, <i>p</i> = .019). Caregiver acculturation in particular was found to account for 84.2% of the variance, with children of less acculturated (i.e., those families lacking social ties to the dominant cultural norms following immigration) parents being more likely to mask as opposed to disclose or withhold. Implications for guiding outreach to culturally diverse children and their families are discussed.

Mobbning är ett stort globalt problem som har förekommit länge bland ungdomar. Syftet med denna föreliggande studie är att undersöka hur psykisk hälsa, tobak, alkohol och droganvändning samt föräldrabarnkommunikation relaterar till mobbning. Studien avser att kontrollera bakgrundsvariabler såsom kön, etnicitet och trivsel i området man bor i. Följande frågeställningar formulerades: (a) Finns det något samband mellan psykisk hälsa, tobak, alkohol och droganvändning, föräldrabarnkommunikation och mobbning? (b) Hur relaterar psykisk hälsa, tobak, alkohol och droganvändning, föräldrabarnkommunikation till mobbning samtidigt som kön, etnicitet och trivsel i området man bor i kontrolleras? För att studera detta område har vi använt oss av kvantitativ ansats med material från LoRDIA (Longitudinal Research on Development In Adolescence) studie 2015. I studien ingick det 1324 elever från två små och två medelstora städer i Jönköpings och Västra Götalands län i Sverige. Resultatet indikerar att det finns ett statistiskt signifikant samband mellan mobbning, psykisk hälsa, tobak alkohol och droganvändning, samt föräldrabarnkommunikation. Det mest intressanta resultatet i studien visar att det finns en signifikant skillnad mellan pojkar och flickors mobbningsbeteende och vad som predicerar det. Pojkar är mer involverade i mobbning än flickor och deras mobbningsbeteende prediceras av tobak, alkohol, och droganvändning och föräldrabarnkommunikation samt upplevd trivsel i bostadsområdet medan flickors mobbning relaterar till psykisk hälsa, föräldrabarnkommunikation, etnicitet och upplevd trivsel i området. / Bullying is a major global problem that is prevalent among young people. The aim of the present study is to investigate mental health and tobacco, alcohol and drug use and child disclosure related to bullying. The study intended to verify background variables such as gender, ethnicity and enjoyment of the area one lives in. The following questions were formulated: (a) Is there any connection between mental health, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, child disclosure and bullying? (b) How does bullying relate to mental health, tobacco, alcohol and drug use and child disclosure while controlling for gender, ethnicity and enjoyment of the area? To study this area, we used a quantitative approach with material from the LoRDIA (Longitudinal Research on Development In Adolescence) study in 2015. The study included 1324 students from two small and two medium-sized cities in Jönköping’s and Västra Götaland’s county in southern Sweden. The result indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between bullying, mental health, tobacco, alcohol and drug use, as well as child disclosure. The most interesting result of the study shows that there is a significant difference between boys and girls bullying behavior: Boys are more involved in bullying than girls, and their bullying behavior is predicted by tobacco, alcohol, and drug use and child disclosure and perceived enjoyment of the area they live in, while girls bullying related to mental health, child disclosure, ethnicity and enjoyment of the area they live in.