Why Indian Teenage Girls Prefer Strangers Over Parents for Mental-Health Disclosure: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative study explores why adolescent girls prefer confiding in strangers rather than their parents when experiencing mental-health difficulties. Using semi-structured interviews with 20 girls aged 13–21, the study examined how family dynamics and parental neglect shape help-seeking behavior. Participants described experiences of anxiety, emotional distress, trauma-related symptoms, and reliance on maladaptive coping strategies. A dominant theme was the intergenerational pattern of emotional avoidance within families, where mental-health conversations are discouraged or dismissed. Contributing factors included conservative norms, fear of judgment, limited parent–child communication, and low awareness of mental-health resources. The findings indicate that emotional unavailability at home restricts adolescents’ willingness to disclose distress, leading them to seek support from peers, online communities, or strangers. These results highlight the need for family-centered mental-health literacy initiatives and early interventions that promote open dialogue within households.