Abstract
ObjectiveTo explore the attitudes and factors in seeking professional psychological help among a Chinese community-dwelling population in order to promote positive help-seeking behaviors and better utilization of mental health services.MethodsUsing system and simple random sampling with Kish selection table methods, 912 community-dwelling residents were included in this study and asked about their attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, depression symptoms, family function, depression literacy, help-seeking intention, and stigma.ResultsScores on the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help scale (ATSPPH-SF) indicated a neutral attitude toward openness to seeking treatment for psychological problems and a negative attitude toward the value and need to seek treatment with a negative total score. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that gender, age, social support (employment status and family function), depression literacy, stigma, and help-seeking intention are significantly associated with attitude toward seeking professional psychological help.ConclusionThe overall attitude toward seeking professional psychological help is not optimistic, thus, more efforts are needed to enhance understanding. Effective interventions including mental health education, training of mental health professionals, and popularizing the use of mental health services are essential, especially for the at-risk population.
Highlights
Mental disorders have become a serious problem worldwide, with over 300 million (4.4%) and 264 million (3.6%) people experiencing depression and anxiety disorders respectively [1]
There are still gaps, compared with the more positive help-seeking attitude in the USA (M = 20.45, SD = 5.51) [54] and Portugal (M = 20.0, SD = 5.7) [25], there is a need to focus on improving understanding of and attitudes regarding professional psychological support in China
Social Support This study found that people who have good social support have a better ATSPPH
Summary
Mental disorders have become a serious problem worldwide, with over 300 million (4.4%) and 264 million (3.6%) people experiencing depression and anxiety disorders respectively [1]. A majority of individuals (76– 85%) with mental disorders receive no treatment in low- and middle-income countries compared with 35–50% in highincome countries [8]. A low rate of help-seeking behaviors [9,10,11] and delayed help-seeking [12] are barriers to receiving timely and effective treatment for persons with mental disorders. Professional help-seeking (e.g. from mental health professionals, physicians) is more effective in the prevention and management of mental health problems and protects individuals against suicide [13, 14]
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