Mental Health Help-seeking Behavior Research Articles

Chinese college freshmen's mental health problems and their subsequent help-seeking behaviors: A cohort design (2005-2011).

Based on cohort data obtained from 13,085 college freshmen’s (2005 to 2011) SCL-90 (the Symptom Check-List-90) reports and their subsequent 4-year psychological counseling help-seeking records, this study examined the association between college students’ mental health problems and help-seeking behaviors across four college years. Female students’ mental health problems and help-seeking behaviors increased from the 2005 to the 2011 cohorts and no changes emerged for male students across cohorts. Overall, male students reported higher levels of mental health problems than did female students in the first college year, whereas female students reported more help-seeking behaviors than did male students in the following four college years. College students’ mental health problems was associated positively with help-seeking behaviors. College students were more likely to seek help from the college psychological counselling center when they experienced relatively few or quite a lot of mental health issues (i.e., an inversed U shape). Implications for future studies and practices are discussed.

Factors Influencing on Mental Health Help-seeking Behavior Among Korean Women: A Path Analysis

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to identify factors influencing mental health help-seeking behavior among women in the community. MethodsA cross-sectional design was used. Participants were 402 women in South Korea. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and a path analysis by IBM SPSS 21.0 and AMOS 21.0. ResultsThere was a significant, but weak positive correlation between perceived need and help-seeking intentions for formal mental health help (r=0.09, p<0.05). In the path analysis, significant the factors influencing help-seeking intentions were perceived need, attitude, and belief toward mental illness, and the attitude of them had the greatest effect. These factors accounted for 12.2% of the total variance, and the model fit was acceptable. ConclusionThe findings of the study reveal that positive mental illness interpretation and consequence can predict mental health help-seeking behavior of women as well as the perceived need for mental health help.

Student Veterans with Invisible Disabilities: Accommodation-Seeking in Higher Education

Large numbers of recent generations of U.S. military veterans are returning to postsecondary education, as they utilize the Post-9/11 GI Bill. However, some of these student veterans may have invisible/non-apparent disabilities such as, posttraumatic stress disorder or other mental health issues that may impact their ability to readjust to the learning environments in educational settings. Minimal research assesses factors impacting student veterans’ disclosure of their disability to receive accommodations. Authors conducted a literature search of military veterans and help-seeking behaviors in higher educational settings based on the criteria of: 1) pertaining to stigma among student veterans/with a non-apparent disability; 2) barriers to engaging in help-seeking behaviors; and 3) acquiring services in a non-military postsecondary educational setting. 15 articles met our search criteria, and offer contextual factors that if accounted for, may make some student veterans more willing to disclose to seek classroom accommodations for a non-apparent disability should the need arise. We conclude by applying theories and recent empirical findings related to enhancing veterans’ willingness to address mental health issues and help-seeking behaviors in higher education.

Help-seeking and psychological distress in university students: Findings from a cross-sectional online survey in the UK

IntroductionWith most mental health disorders emerging in the later teenage years, university students are arguably an at-risk population with increased mental health support needs. This population is characterised by important, life-changing transitions (moving away from home, friends and family) and new potential stressors (including increased academic pressures and relational challenges). Research to examine determinants of mental health help-seeking behaviours in university students is needed to ensure emotional health needs are being met at this critical time.ObjectivesTo examine levels of psychological distress and mental health help-seeking behaviours in a sample of UK university students. By identifying factors associated with help seeking, we can better understand the mental health needs of this population and inform support provision.MethodsThis study draws on data from the social and emotional well-being in university students (SoWise) study, an online survey which aimed to examine risk and resilience for social and emotional well-being in young people attending a UK university.ResultsWhole sample analysis (n = 461) showed help seeking was significantly associated with psychological distress, current life stressors and anxious attachment and not associated with perceived mental health stigma. Sub-group analysis (n = 171) suggests being female and older significantly predicted help seeking in students with mild/moderate psychological distress.ConclusionsYounger males with mild/moderate psychological distress are less likely to seek mental health support and represent an “invisible” at risk group. Results also suggest that global anti-stigma campaigns in universities may not prove effective in encouraging help seeking.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Examining mental health literacy, help seeking behaviours, and mental health outcomes in UK university students

PurposeMany university students in the UK experience mental health problems and little is known about their overall mental health literacy and help-seeking behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain levels of mental health literacy in UK university students and to examine whether mental health literacy is associated with better mental health outcomes and intentions to seek professional care.Design/methodology/approachA total of 380 university students at a university in the south of England completed online surveys measuring multiple dimensions of mental health literacy, help-seeking behaviour, distress, and well-being.FindingsMental health literacy in the students sampled was lower than seen in previous research. Women exhibited higher levels of mental health literacy than men and postgraduate students scored higher than undergraduate students. Participants with previous mental health problems had higher levels of mental health literacy than those with no history of mental health problems. Individuals were most likely to want to seek support from a partner or family member and most participants indicated they would be able to access mental health information online. Mental health literacy was significantly positively correlated with help-seeking behaviour, but not significantly correlated with distress or well-being.Practical implicationsStrategies, such as anonymous online resources, should be designed to help UK university students become more knowledgeable about mental health and comfortable with seeking appropriate support.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine multiple dimensions of mental health literacy in UK university students and compare it to help-seeking behaviour, distress, and well-being.

Influencing Factors on Mental Health Help-Seeking Behavior in Korean and Immigrant Married Women

Influencing Factors on Mental Health Help-Seeking Behavior in Korean and Immigrant Married Women

Promoting Mental Health Help-Seeking Behavior Among First-Year College Students

ABSTRACTAwareness and utilization of mental health services on college campuses is a salient issue, particularly for first-year students as they transition into college life. The current study uses focus groups and surveys to test help-seeking messages for first-year students. In this formative research, Phase 1 focus-group participants (N = 47) discussed four message concepts related to awareness of symptoms of mental health problems and services available to students. Phase 2 participants (N = 292) viewed one of three message concepts and then completed items that measured their perceptions of the message. Focus-group results helped prioritize likely effectiveness of messages based on responses to message features and provided an understanding of mental health help-seeking perceptions among college students. The quantitative results indicate the messages have potential for increasing awareness of mental health issues, as well as promoting availability of campus resources. Implications for tailoring campaign messages to first-year students are discussed.

Barriers to mental health help-seeking behaviour in adolescents in Malta

Barriers to mental health help-seeking behaviour in adolescents in Malta

An Examination of Fathers' Mental Health Help Seeking: A Brief Report.

Fathers' mental health help seeking is an understudied area. Using participants (N = 1,989) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study hypothesized that few fathers would seek mental health services; and increases in anxiety, depression, and parental stress would predict less mental health help seeking. Only 3.2% of the participants reported seeking mental health counseling. Among the three independent variables, only depression emerged as a significant factor that predicted less mental health help-seeking behaviors in fathers. Future research and clinical efforts need to better understand the low rates of help seeking and to identify pathways that facilitate positive mental health help seeking among fathers.

Under-diagnosis of mood disorders in Canada.

Under-diagnosis of mood disorders occurs worldwide. In this study, we characterized and compared Canadians with symptoms compatible with a mood disorder by diagnosis status; and described the associated health impacts, use of health services and perceived need for care. Respondents to the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health, a nationally representative sample of Canadians age ≥15 years were assessed for symptoms compatible with mood disorders based on a Canadian adaptation of the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (n = 23 504). Descriptive and multivariate regression analyses were performed. In 2012, an estimated 5.4% (1.5 million) Canadians aged 15 years and older reported symptoms compatible with a mood disorder, of which only half reported having been professionally diagnosed. The undiagnosed individuals were more likely to be younger (mean age: 36.2 v. 41.8), to be single (49.5 v. 32.7%), to have less than a post-secondary graduation (49.8 v. 41.1%) and to have no physical co-morbidities (56.4 v. 35.7%), and less likely to be part of the two lower income quintiles (49.6 v. 62.7%) compared with those with a previous diagnosis. Upon controlling for all socio-demographic and health characteristics, the associations with age and marital status disappeared. While those with a previous diagnosis reported significantly greater health impacts and were more likely to have consulted a health professional for their emotional and mental health problems in the previous 12 months compared with those undiagnosed (79.4 v. 31.0%), about a third of both groups reported that their health care needs were only partially met or not met at all. Mood disorders are prevalent and can profoundly impact the life of those affected, however, their diagnosis remains suboptimal and health care use falls short of apparent needs. Improvements in mental health literacy, help-seeking behaviours and diagnosis are needed. In light of the heterogeneity of mood disorders in terms of symptoms severity, impacts and prognosis, interventions must be tailored accordingly.

Mental Health Literacy Among Late Adolescents in South India: What They Know and What Attitudes Drive Them.

Background:Early recognition of mental health problems gives an individual the opportunity for better long-term outcomes if intervention is initiated early. Mental health literacy is a related concept which is increasingly seen as an important measure of the awareness and knowledge of mental health disorders.Aim and Objectives:This study aimed at assessing the mental health literacy, help-seeking behavior and beliefs and attitudes related to mental illnesses among adolescents attending preuniversity colleges.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected preuniversity college students (n = 916). Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Data were computed using STATA. Analysis and interpretation were carried out using descriptives and Chi-square test.Results:Of the 916 respondents, 54.15% were male while 45.85% were female. The majority (78.60%) of the respondents ascribed to the Hindu religion, hailed largely from rural areas (57.21%) and were mostly studying in the 11th standard (72.49%). The percentage of mental health literacy among the respondents was very low, i.e., depression was identified by 29.04% and schizophrenia/psychosis was recognized by 1.31%. The study findings indicate that adolescents preferred reaching out more to informal sources including family members such as mothers than formal sources for self than for others indicating deeply prevalent stigmatizing attitudes toward mental health conditions.Conclusions:There is a need for immediate improvement in the knowledge of adolescents on mental health literacy which suggests that programs need to be developed such that adolescents can seek help from valid resources if the need were to arise and have appropriate knowledge on whom to approach for help.

A Peer-Support and Mindfulness Program to Improve the Mental Health of Medical Students

ABSTRACTProblem: There is evidence that peer-support programs can improve mental health indices and help-seeking behavior among students in some secondary school and university settings and that mindfulness can improve mental health in medical students. Peer-led programs have not been formally assessed in a medical student population, where psychological issues exist and where it has been shown that students approach peers for help in preference to staff members or professional services. Intervention: Medical students elected peer leaders who underwent training and then provided the intervention. The peer leaders provided support to students in the intervention group, as well as offering teaching in mindfulness meditation. Context: An exploratory study was conducted with 2nd- and 3rd-year medical students at 1 medical school in New Zealand randomized into 2 groups. In addition to existing mental health resources, intervention participants received a program including peer support and peer-taught mindfulness practice. Study participants not offered the intervention participants could use existing mental health resources. Primary measures included depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) scores. Secondary measures were quality of life, resilience (15-item resilience scale), academic self-concept, and motivation to learn, assessed at baseline and 6 months. Outcome: Of the 402 students eligible, 275 (68%) participated and 232 (58%) completed the study. At baseline, 53% were female and mean age was 21 years (SD = 3)—PHQ-9 score (M = 5.2, SD = 3.7) and GAD-7 score (M = 4.5, SD = 3.4). Twelve peer leaders were elected. There was good participation in the intervention. One fourth of intervention students used the face-to-face peer support and more than 50% attended a peer social event and/or participated in the mindfulness program. Although improvements in mental health were seen in the intervention group, the difference between the intervention and nonintervention groups did not reach statistical significance. Lessons Learned: Although evidence exists for effectiveness of peer support and mindfulness in other contexts, this exploratory study was not able to show a statistically significant effect. Future studies could consider using a longer training period for the peer leaders, as well as targeting the study population to those most likely to benefit such as those with poorer mental health, or using a more intensive intervention or larger sample size. A cluster randomized study design would also reduce the risk of contamination.

'Depression is not an illness. It's up to you to make yourself happy': Perceptions of Chinese health professionals and community workers about older Chinese immigrants' experiences of depression and anxiety.

The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of depression and anxiety among older immigrant Chinese Australians. The study was based on the National Ageing Research Institute's Cultural Exchange Model, an iterative process of exchange between researchers and stakeholders. The project involved a range of components including consultations with health professionals and community workers about perceptions of depression and anxiety within the Chinese community. This paper reports on these consultation findings. Thematic analysis generated five main categories to explain participants' perceptions of depression and anxiety within the Chinese community. Themes included: lack of knowledge; personal weakness rather than illness; stigma; somatisation; and experience of migration in later life. Responses to questions about education and information dissemination were collated separately and reported. Views of depression and anxiety among older Chinese people suggest that educating the community may be an important way to improve mental health literacy and help-seeking behaviour.

Mental illness stigma and engagement in an implementation trial for Cognitive Processing Therapy at a diverse community health center: a qualitative investigation.

The present study aimed to describe associations between various types of mental health stigma and help-seeking behaviors among ethnically diverse clients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) served by an urban community health clinic. The present study draws qualitative data from a parent National Institute of Mental Health Study that aims to identify barriers and facilitators of implementing Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD. A total of 24 participants from the initial phase of the trial were included in the present study. Mental health stigma emerged as one notable barrier to seeking mental health treatment, as participants described how experiences of environment-level stigma, internalized (self-)stigma and perceived (felt) stigma from their family, friends and previous healthcare providers influenced their decisions to seek care. Despite these barriers to help seeking, many clients also reported that positive interactions with informal and formal support systems, and encouragement from study therapists, helped to combat mental health stigma and facilitate decisions to participate in an implementation trial for CPT. Findings suggest that providers in community health settings may need to attend directly to stigma at the initiation of mental health treatment.

Men's Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors: An Intersectional Analysis.

Men seek mental health treatment less often than women. The present study sought to elucidate identities and individual difference characteristics that are associated with enhanced or decreased mental health help-seeking in a large national sample of U.S. men. Using data from 4,825 U.S. men aged 20 to 59 years, main effects of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, income-poverty ratio, relationship status, depression symptoms, and body mass index were explored within the sample of men as well as intersections of these predictors with racial/ethnic group identity. While the results of main effects testing generally supported prior research (i.e., greater mental health care help-seeking among White men, nonheterosexual men, men not in relationships, older men, and more depressed men), when examined associations across racial/ethnic groups, the direction and strength of these associations showed notable variation-variation unaccounted for in prior research. These findings highlight the need for future theory building and research that accounts for this variation at the intersection of race/ethnicity and these specific predictors of help-seeking behavior among men.

Linkages between mental health need and help-seeking behavior among adolescents: Moderating role of ethnicity and cultural values.

Risk of developing emotional and behavioral mental health problems increases markedly during adolescence. Despite this increasing need, most adolescents, particularly ethnic minority youth, do not seek professional help. Informed by conceptual models of health behavior, the current study examined how cultural values are related to help seeking among adolescents from 2 distinct racial/ethnic groups. Using a prospective survey design, 169 Vietnamese American and European American youth in 10th and 11th grade reported on their mental health need, as measured by emotional/behavioral mental health symptoms and stressful life events, with participants reporting on their help-seeking behavior at 6-month follow-up assessments. Multinomial logistic regression analyses indicated that mental health need interacted with cultural values and ethnicity to predict help-seeking behavior. Specifically, associations between symptoms and stressful life events, and help-seeking behavior were smaller among Vietnamese American adolescents, and among adolescents with strong family obligation values. These results underscore the complex sociocultural factors influencing adolescents' help-seeking behavior, which have important implications for engaging youth in needed mental health care.

Reasons and determinants of mental health help-seeking behavior in patients undergoing dialysis.

Reasons and determinants of mental health help-seeking behavior in patients undergoing dialysis.

Postpartum Traditions, Mental Health, and Help-Seeking Considerations Among Vietnamese American Women: a Mixed-Methods Pilot Study.

The purpose of this study was to explore Vietnamese American mothers' perceptions and experiences with postpartum traditions, postpartum depression (PPD), and mental health help-seeking behavior. Participants were 15 Vietnamese mothers who had given birth to at least one live infant within the previous year. A screening tool revealed that a third of the mothers had probable PPD. More than half reported having recent/current postpartum "sadness" during the interviews. Postpartum traditions played important roles in their well-being and maintaining strong cultural values. However, some reported feelings of isolation and the desire to be able to carry out postpartum traditions more frequently. Many who had reported sadness said that they would not seek professional help; all had felt that their condition was not "severe" enough to warrant help-seeking. Future PPD interventions should consider the importance of postpartum cultural traditions and address help-seeking barriers as ways to prevent the adverse effects of untreated PPD.

Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Asian American Community College Students: The Effect of Stigma, Cultural Barriers, and Acculturation

According to the 2008 U.S. Census, there are 15.5 million Asian Americans in the United States, and 17% are students enrolled in a university (Shea &amp; Yeh, 2008). Asian American college students in higher education are oftentimes perceived as the “model minority” with high academic achievements and few mental and/or behavioral problems (Park, 2010). In contrast to this general assumption, studies have shown that many Asian American college students suffer from psychological distress (Abe-Kim et al., 2007; Breaux, Matsuoka, &amp; Ryujin, 1997; Lee et al., 2009; Mallinckrodt, Shigeoka, &amp; Suzuki, 2005; Nguyen &amp; Anderson, 2005). In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2008) highlighted considerable disparities in mental health among racial/ethnic groups, including the fact that Asian Americans 15–24 years old have significantly higher suicidal rates than do other racial/ethnic groups of the same age range. Researchers have attributed this mental health disparity to Asian students’ underutilization of professional services. Consequently, a growing number of empirical studies have been conducted to identify the contributors to low mental health service utilization (Abe-Kim et al., 2007; Kim &amp; Park, 2009; Lee et al., 2009; Nguyen &amp; Anderson, 2005; Umemoto, 2004). These studies have found that acculturation, cultural barriers, and stigma attached to mental health problems are common factors that significantly contribute to Asian American college students’ low mental-health-seeking behaviors. However, based on the authors’ knowledge, these studies have focused on Asian American students who attend 4-year colleges. There is very little known about Asian American students attending 2-year community colleges, who comprise over 40% of Asian American undergraduates enrolled in higher education (Park, 2010).

Web-based interventions for traumatized people in mainland China

BackgroundThe Internet is now becoming a new channel for delivering psychological interventions.MethodThis paper reported a first application of web-based intervention in mainland China. It first summarized primary barriers to mental health help-seeking behavior in Chinese society. Then, it introduced the current utilization of the Internet within mental health services in mainland China and discussed how the Internet would help to improve people's help-seeking behaviors. More importantly, it presented main empirical findings from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) which investigated the efficacy of a web-based self-help intervention program (Chinese My Trauma Recovery website, CMTR) for 103 urban and 93 rural traumatized Chinese persons.ResultsThe data revealed that 59% urban and 97% rural participants completed the posttest. In the urban sample, data showed a significant group×time interaction in Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS) scores (F1,88=7.65, p=0.007). CMTR reduced posttraumatic symptoms significantly with high effect size after intervention (F1,45=15.13, Cohen's d=0.81, p<0.001) and the reduction was sustained over a 3-month follow-up (F1,45=17.29, Cohen's d=0.87, p<0.001). In the rural sample, the group×time interaction was also significant in PDS scores (F1,91=5.35, p=0.02). Posttraumatic symptoms decreased significantly after intervention (F1,48=43.97, Cohen's d=1.34, p<0.001) and during the follow-up period (F1,48=24.22, Cohen's d=0.99, p<0.001).ConclusionsThese findings give preliminary support for the short-term efficacy of CMTR in the two Chinese populations. Finally, some implications are given for the future application of web-based interventions for PTSD in mainland China.