To follow the yellow brick road: exploring the journey to mental well-being consumption

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn many health service contexts, governments, public policy bodies and health services have made increasing calls to generate greater levels of understanding around encouraging timely and positive courses of behavioural action by varying sub-sets of consumers. This exploratory qualitative study addresses this call to action by examining the perceived mechanisms that are contributing to the underutilisation and adoption of health services in the early stages of health decision making within the empirical context of mental health. In-depth interviews with young adults revealed three driving mechanisms (1) expected health service quality, (2) self-stigma and (3) perceived severity, and two contingency variables of (1) media exposure and (2) past behaviour. These emergent understandings highlight an extension of existing service adoption literature to include service, individual and external media communication attributes that are qualitatively distinct and influential in engaging proactive help-seeking behaviours in young consumers. Building on our findings, we propose an integrated theoretical framework with a set of testable propositions from the perspective of young adults in the pre-contemplation phase of health decision-making. Finally, the findings emphasise the importance of a holistic service system whereby every service touchpoint with clinicians, clinical and non-clinical services shapes customers’ future expectations and behaviours towards the health service system.