Determinants Of Help-seeking Behavior Research Articles

Help-seeking behaviour and associated factors among women who experienced physical and sexual violence in Ethiopia: evidence from the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey

BackgroundViolence against women remains devastatingly pervasive and remained unchanged over the past decade. Violence against women is preventable and help-seeking of women subjected to violence is an entry point. So, this study assessed help-seeking behaviour and associated factors among women who experienced physical and sexual violence in Ethiopia.MethodUsing the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS), this paper analyzes the determinants of help-seeking behavior of women subjected to violence in Ethiopia. EDHS used a two-stage stratified cluster sampling technique. From 642 communities, a total of 1540 (weighted) reproductive age women were included in the analysis. Simple descriptive, bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were employed. Statistical significance was set at a p-value of less than 0.05.ResultsOnly 22.5% of the women who experienced violence sought help. Being aged 30 and above, working in sales, or an agricultural job, being in the richest wealth quintile, and experiencing severe violence were associated with increased help-seeking behaviour. Living in a rural area, having a husband who attended primary, secondary, and higher education, having a husband working in a professional job and agriculture were factors associated with lower odds of help-seeking behaviour.ConclusionIn Ethiopia below one-fourth of women who were subject to violence sought help. Socio-demographic factors and severity of the violence were associated with help-seeking. Preventing child marriages and reducing poverty as well as increased employment and education for women enhance help-seeking behaviour by the women. Interventions could include creating awareness, law enforcement, and support for victims.

Geographic variation and determinants of help seeking behaviour among married women subjected to intimate partner violence: evidence from national population survey

BackgroundHelp seeking behaviour amongst married women who experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has received limited attention in Africa. This study examines the geographic variation and investigates determinants of help seeking behaviour amongst married women in Ethiopia.MethodsThis study analysed data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). Data was extracted for married women age 15–49 years old who experienced IPV. Factors associated with help seeking behaviour were identified using multiple logistic regression adjusted for clustering and weighing. The weighted proportion of factors associated with help seeking behaviour was exported to ArcGIS to conduct autocorrelation analysis.ResultsThe prevalence of help seeking behaviour among married women who experienced IPV was 19.8% (95% CI: 15.9–24.3%). Only 9.2% of them sought help from a formal source (such as police, lawyer or doctor). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed physical violence (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.76), educational attainment (AOR=2.1), a partner’s alcohol consumption (AOR=1.9), partner’s controlling behaviour (AOR= 2.4), partner’s employment status, (AOR= 1.9) and wealth index (AOR=2.8) were significantly associated factors with help seeking behaviour among married women who experienced IPV in Ethiopia (P< 0.05). Women in Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, Harari, Western and Eastern Amhara, and Afar had the lowest odds of help seeking behaviour (P< 0.001) after experiencing IPV.ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that poor help seeking behaviour for married women experiencing IPV is a significant public health problem in Ethiopia. Multiple interrelated factors were associated with poor help seeking behaviour. These factors include women’s level of educational attainment, women experiencing physical violence, partners exhibiting controlling behaviour, partner’s alcohol consumption, the employment status of the partner, and wealth status of the household were important predictors of help seeking behaviour. Policies and interventions need to be tailored to address these factors to improve women’s health outcomes and to prevent IPV.

Determinants of help-seeking behavior in depression: a cross-sectional study.

BackgroundAlthough evidence-based and effective treatments are available for people with depression, a substantial number does not seek or receive help. Therefore, it is important to gain a better understanding of the reasons why people do or do not seek help. This study examined what predisposing and need factors are associated with help-seeking among people with major depression.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 102 subjects with major depression. Respondents were recruited from the general population in collaboration with three Municipal Health Services (GGD) across different regions in the Netherlands. Inclusion criteria were: being aged 18 years or older, a high score on a screening instrument for depression (K10 > 20), and a diagnosis of major depression established through the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 2.1).ResultsOf the total sample, 65 % (n = 66) had received help in the past six months. Results showed that respondents with a longer duration of symptoms and those with lower personal stigma were more likely to seek help. Other determinants were not significantly related to help-seeking.ConclusionsLonger duration of symptoms was found to be an important determinant of help-seeking among people with depression. It is concerning that stigma was related to less help-seeking. Knowledge and understanding of depression should be promoted in society, hopefully leading to reduced stigma and increased help-seeking.

Determinants of help-seeking behaviour in cases of epilepsy attending a teaching hospital in India: an indigenous explanatory model.

Psychosocial factors determining the choice of health facility in 30 cases of epilepsy attending the psychiatric outpatient department (OPD) of a teaching (referral) hospital in India were studied. The majority of those who chose indigenous healers as their first contact treatment facility did so on the decision of the family. A belief in the supernatural causation of epilepsy combined with family decision was associated with the choice of indigenous health facility. Belief in the physical cause of epilepsy and the participation of social network in decision making were, on the other hand, closely associated with the choice of practitioners of modern medicine. The time-lag between onset of illness and first contact for treatment was short when indigenous healers were consulted first, however these patients usually took a long time to reach the referral centre when they passed through the indigenous healers.

Determinants of help seeking behaviour: The effects of helper's similarity, task centrality and recipient's self esteem

AbstractThe present experiment was concerned with the way in which the characteristics of the helper the task and the recipient affect the willingness to seek help. In line with past theory and research it was reasoned that seeking help would be most threatening when one needs help on an ego ‐ central task, and the helper is perceived as similar to oneself. Consequently, individuals were expected to seek least help under these conditions. Further it was expected that individuals who enjoy a high self esteem would be more sensitive to this self threat and seek less help under these self threatening conditions than would individuals who have a low self esteem. The experiment consisted of a 2 (similar versus dissimilar helper) times 2 (ego‐central versus non central task) times 2 (high versus low self esteem subjects) between subjects design. Subjects worked on a difficult anagram task, and their actual help seeking behaviour served as a dependent measure. The findings support the experimental hypotheses. The conceptual and applied implications of these findings are discussed.