Research Journey
The studies presented here document evolving social questions within Gulf societies and represent a continuing effort to connect academic knowledge with lived social realities, professional practice, and meaningful community impact.
Research Journey
The studies presented here document evolving social questions within Gulf societies and represent a continuing effort to connect academic knowledge with lived social realities, professional practice, and meaningful community impact.
Al-Kandari, H.Y. (2024)
Trends Towards Seeking Help, Sources of Social Support, Social Worker Characteristics and Life Pressures Among Young People in Kuwait
Al-Kandari, H.Y. (2017)View Article | Download PDFThis monograph examined adolescents’ attitudes toward seeking professional help, sources of social support, perceptions of school social workers, and life pressures among secondary school students in Kuwait. The study highlighted how accessibility, trust, and psychosocial stressors influence help-seeking behavior among youth.Abstract
This monograph examined secondary school students’ attitudes toward seeking help from school social workers in Kuwait, and explored how these attitudes relate to sources of social support, perceived characteristics of school social workers, and students’ life pressures. The study used a descriptive social survey method.The sample consisted of 276 Kuwaiti public secondary school students, aged 15–19 years. The participants were drawn from three public secondary schools: two girls’ schools and one boys’ school in the Mubarak Al-Kabeer and Al-Ahmadi governorates. The study notes that participation was voluntary and that the sampling approach limits broad generalization to all secondary school students in Kuwait.The study developed and validated five instruments: a demographic questionnaire; a scale measuring attitudes toward seeking help from the school social worker; a scale measuring sources of social support; a scale measuring perceived characteristics of the school social worker; and a scale measuring life pressures. The tools were reviewed by specialists, piloted with students, and tested for reliability and validity. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest procedures.The findings showed that public secondary school students generally held neutral attitudes toward seeking help from school social workers, while tenth-grade students showed more negative attitudes. Students tended to rely on trusted informal and formal sources of support depending on the type of problem. For financial and family problems, they were more likely to seek help from trusted persons, while for academic, personal, and emotional problems, they were more likely to approach the school social worker. The findings also showed that students perceived social workers as having moderate professional and personal qualities, with accessibility being among the most valued characteristics. Students reported moderate levels of life pressure, especially pressures related to school, difficulty obtaining money, changes in daily routine, and personal relationships. The study also found that school grade level, perceived accessibility of the social worker, honesty, work commitment, and selected life pressures were associated with attitudes toward seeking help.The study recommended improving students’ attitudes toward seeking professional help, particularly among younger students and those with negative perceptions of school social workers. It emphasized the need to reduce barriers to accessing school social workers, strengthen trust-based relationships between students and social workers, diversify students’ sources of support, increase awareness of available school social work services, and develop intervention programs addressing academic stress, daily routine pressures, personal relationships, and coping skills. It also recommended improving the location and visibility of the school social work offivaluating services from the perspective of dissatisfied students, and conducting further studies across other Kuwaiti governorates.Keywords:
Students' life, Mental Health & Psychological Support, Child & Adolescent Mental Health, School Social Work, Help-Seeking Attitudes, Secondary School Students, Social Support, School Social Workers, Student Well-Being, Adolescent Mental Health, School-Based Support Services, Life Stressors, Professional Helping Relationships, Educational Social Work, Kuwait, Youth Support Systems, Student Counseling Services, Access to School Services
Cite this Article:
Al-Kandari, H.Y. (2017). Trends towards seeking help, sources of social support, social worker characteristics and life pressures among young people in Kuwait. Annals of the Arts and Social Sciences, 486(38), 10-186. https://doi.org/10.34120/aass.v38i486.1107
Al-Kandari, H.Y. (2016)
View Article | Download PDFYouth Perceptions of the Importance of Social Workers’ Roles in Kuwaiti Society.
Al-Kandari, H.Y. (2016)
View Article | Download PDFThis study explores Kuwaiti youths’ perceptions of the role and importance of social workers in society. It examines public awareness of the profession and highlights its contribution to supporting individuals, families, and community well-being in Kuwait.