Abstract
BackgroundPersonality traits are not only associated with psychiatric symptoms, but also with treatment seeking behavior. Our purpose was to examine the relationship between mental health service utilization and personality characteristics in a nationwide community sample of Korean adults.MethodOf the 6022 subjects aged 18–74 years who participated in the Korean Epidemiologic Catchment Area study, 1544 (25.6%) with a lifetime diagnosis of any DSM-IV psychiatric disorder were analyzed. Diagnostic assessments were based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and personality constructs were measured by Big Five Personality Inventory-10.ResultsOf the 1544 participants, 275 (17.8%) had used mental health services. Multivariate analyses revealed positive associations between mental health service utilization and both neuroticism and openness, and an inverse association between mental health service utilization and agreeableness.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that specific personality traits may have a role in treatment-seeking behaviors for mental health problems independent of the psychiatric disorder.
Highlights
Personality traits are associated with psychiatric symptoms, and with treatment seeking behavior
To identify possible confounders that may mediate the association between Mental health service utilization (MHSU) and personality constructs, we compared the socio-demographic characteristics and lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders between mental health service users and non-users
Depressive disorder (OR = 7.24, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) = 5.45–9.62), dysthymia (OR = 3.41, 95% CI = 1.95–5.97), and anxiety disorder (OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.65–2.81) were positively associated with MHSU, and nicotine use disorder (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.38–0.77) and alcohol use disorder (OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.24–0.45) were negatively associated with MHSU (Table 1)
Summary
Personality traits are associated with psychiatric symptoms, and with treatment seeking behavior. Diagnostic assessments were based on the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and personality constructs were measured by Big Five Personality Inventory-10 It is paramount for an individual with a mental difficulty to obtain an appropriate intervention. Most studies focused on socio-demographical predisposing factors, encompassing ethnic minorities [6, 7], male gender [8], and those with low education level [9]. Cultural barriers, such as stigma [10], misconception of mental health problems [11], and mental health illiteracy [12] may shape negative attitudes toward professional service.
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