Positive Help-seeking Attitudes Research Articles

Depression, gender, and help-seeking among Arab/Middle Eastern North African (MENA) Americans: The role of enculturation.

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which depression severity, gender, acculturation, and enculturation are associated with help-seeking attitudes among Arab/Middle Eastern North African (MENA) Americans. A hierarchical linear regression was conducted with a sample of 296 Arab/MENA participants (154 women and 142 men). After controlling for pertinent demographic variables, depression severity was negatively associated with help-seeking. Further, there was a significant three-way interaction between depression severity, gender, and enculturation on help-seeking attitudes. For women with higher levels of depression symptoms, higher levels of enculturation were associated with less positive help-seeking attitudes; conversely, higher levels of enculturation for men were associated with more positive help-seeking attitudes. These results have significant implications for clinicians working with Arab/MENA American populations. Practitioners should be aware of acculturation and enculturation processes as well as the ways in which depression symptom severity may influence engagement in treatment differentially for Arab/MENA women and men. Future research is needed to examine the mechanisms underlying these relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Suicidality associated with decreased help-seeking attitudes in college students: Implications for identifying and treating at-risk students

Suicide is a leading cause of death in college-aged youth, yet only half of all college students report engaging in professional mental health help-seeking. We examined how the various aspects of young adults’ suicidality were associated with their openness to pursue professional mental health care in the future (i.e., “future help-seeking intentions”). Multilevel binary logistic regressions were tested in a sample of 24,446 U.S. college undergraduates with suicidality. The moderating effect of past service utilization on future help-seeking intentions was also tested. Strikingly, young people reporting past-year suicidal ideation, past-year suicidal attempts, and self-reported likelihood of a future suicide attempt demonstrated decreased likelihood of future help-seeking intentions, while those reporting prior diagnosis of a mental health condition and/or past service utilization demonstrated an increased likelihood. Past service utilization also significantly moderated the effect of suicide disclosure, such that youth reporting prior disclosure and prior professional treatment-seeking demonstrated greater odds of future help-seeking intentions relative to those who had disclosed suicidality but never utilized professional services. In order to mitigate the mental health crisis facing youth, further exploration is necessary to understand why students with suicidality do not report openness to seek help. It is also imperative to develop and implement novel strategies to identify at-risk students, understand and alleviate relevant barriers to treatment, and promote positive help-seeking attitudes and behaviors.

Burnout, Help Seeking, and Perceptions of Psychological Safety and Stigma Among National Collegiate Athletic Association Coaches

Sport coaches face unique work-related demands that, over time, can lead to negative well-being outcomes, such as burnout. The link between burnout and mental health is supported in the literature, and public stigma around mental health has been identified as a prominent barrier to seeking help. The aim of this study was to investigate how burnout and help-seeking attitudes of National Collegiate Athletic Association coaches are impacted by psychological safety and public stigma associated with seeking help. A sample of 187 National Collegiate Athletic Association coaches participated in a cross-sectional online survey and reported sociodemographic and job-related characteristics, public stigma, self and team psychological safety, burnout, and attitudes toward help seeking. Regression-based mediation analyses revealed that greater psychological safety predicted lower levels of exhaustion and disengagement as well as more positive help-seeking attitudes. In addition, public stigma partially mediated the influence of psychological safety on exhaustion and disengagement and fully mediated the relationship between psychological safety and help-seeking attitudes. No differences in exhaustion, disengagement, and help-seeking attitudes among National Collegiate Athletic Association coaches across Divisions I, II, and III were observed. Findings lend support for intervention development to increase psychological safety as a burnout management strategy as well as to reduce public stigma associated with help seeking.

Social Media Use for Youth Mental Health Awareness and Help-Seeking Attitudes: A Systematic Review

This study provides a systematic review of literature related to social media use for youth mental health awareness and help-seeking attitudes. By adopting the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews (SPAR-4-SLR) protocol, 1418 peer-reviewed articles published in academic journals between January 2018 and February 2023 were identified and acquired from Google Scholar and Web of Science databases using keyword searching techniques. The retrieved articles were then organized and purified to exclude the articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria. Of these, only12 articles were eligible for evaluation, using content analysis and thematic analysis. In the context of mental health, our review revealed two themes of social media use, which were for seeking mental health information and seeking emotional support. It was also found that social media use has the potential to enhance mental health awareness and shape positive help-seeking attitudes among youth. Research gaps were identified in relation to the mediation mechanism of mental health awareness through which social media use is related to help-seeking attitudes, particularly in the context of a specific social media visual platform like Instagram. Derived from these findings, we offer research directions to further investigate the role of Instagram in developing youth help-seeking attitudes via mental health awareness.

Are Parents the Key? How Parental Suicide Stigma and Suicide Literacy Affect Help-Seeking Attitudes and Intentions for their Child

Suicide is the leading cause of death among Australian young people, yet rates of help-seeking for suicidal ideation and behaviors in this population are concerningly low. In this study, the relationships between parental suicide stigma, parental suicide literacy, and their attitudes and intentions toward seeking professional help for their child if they were to express thoughts of suicide are investigated. Understanding this influence is critical given parents are key facilitators of their child’s access to and engagement with professional mental health services. An online survey was administered to 302 parents of children aged-12–18 (Mage = 45.36, SDage = 6.23; 91.4% female). Parental suicide stigma was significantly associated with more negative help-seeking attitudes and lower help-seeking intentions. Other significant predictors of more positive help-seeking attitudes included parental self-efficacy and having a child with no history of suicidal ideation. Higher help-seeking intentions were associated with female gender, living in an urban area, and positive help-seeking attitudes. Parental suicide literacy was not significantly associated with help-seeking. Practically, outcomes of this study may inform the development and implementation of targeted education programs to increase parental help-seeking for their children.

Suicide literacy and attitudes toward psychological help-seeking: a cross-sectional study of students.

Higher education students express high levels of suicidal ideation. However, data on students' knowledge of suicide and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help are lacking. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate students' suicidal ideation, suicide literacy and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, and to assess whether these variables were interrelated. Higher education students completed an online survey that consisted of 12 questions on suicide literacy (based on the Literacy of Suicide Scale), the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale and the Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale. A total of 2004 students completed the survey. Female students and biomedical students showed the highest suicide literacy and most positive help-seeking attitudes. Higher study year was associated with more positive help-seeking attitudes. Art students expressed the highest levels of suicidal ideation. Suicide literacy had a weak positive correlation with help-seeking attitudes (Spearman's rho = 0.186). Suicidal ideation, suicide literacy and help-seeking attitudes may differ according to student's gender, study year and study field. Better suicide literacy may promote psychological help-seeking behavior.

University Students’ Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help for Psycho-Social Problems in Two Selected Public Universities in Tanzania: A Mixed Methods Study

Universities worldwide have established psychological help services to help students deal with ever-growing psycho-social problems. However, evidence shows that students do not prefer using the available services. Nevertheless, the available evidence offers limited information about university students’ attitudes toward seeking psychological help in Tanzania. Thus, the present study examined university students’ attitudes toward seeking psychological help for psycho-social problems. Data were collected from 740 students using questionnaires and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze students’ help-seeking attitudes. The independent sample t-test was used to determine the difference in students’ attitudes by age, sex, and year of study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the means of attitudes by students’ field of study. Thematic analysis technique guided the analysis of FGDs data. The findings revealed that most university students had positive attitudes toward seeking psychological help for the studied psycho-social problems. The FGDs findings revealed that students had positive attitudes mainly because they could get relief from the problems they faced, the presence of confidentiality to information shared, and the perceived competence of help service providers. Furthermore, the findings indicated a statistically significant difference in attitude scores for female students ( M = 40.56, SD = 3.78) and male students ( M = 39.64, SD = 4.62; t (723) = 2.9, p = 0.004, two-tailed). Moreover, university students’ attitudes differed significantly by fields of study, F (3, 723) = 8.12, p < .001. Promoting positive help-seeking attitudes among students might improve their utilization of psychological help services.

Professional help-seeking for suicide in Japan: Modifiable factors influencing help-seeking beliefs, attitudes, and intentions

• Japan has a high suicide rate but concerningly low use of professional services • Beliefs, attitudes and intentions for help seeking for suicidal ideation were examined • High suicide literacy, low stigma, and low self-reliance associated with more positive attitudes • Specific subgroups of the Japanese population with increased risk were identified • There is a need to develop public health messaging to increase professional service use Despite high suicide rates in Japan, many people do not seek professional help for suicidal thoughts. We identified modifiable factors associated with help-seeking beliefs, attitudes, and intentions for suicidal ideation, and examined characteristics associated with suicidal ideation. Participants were 217 Japanese adults recruited online. We assessed beliefs, attitudes and intentions regarding professional help seeking, and recent suicidal ideation. Greater suicide exposure and less social support were associated with more negative help-seeking beliefs. More positive help-seeking attitudes were associated with less education, no religious affiliation, greater suicide literacy, lower suicide stigma, and lower self-reliance. No significant correlates of help-seeking intentions were identified. Recent suicidal ideation was associated with non-binary gender, less education, negative beliefs/attitudes towards help-seeking, poorer mental health, lower mastery, less social support, greater self-reliance, and greater suicide normalisation. Interventions to improve help-seeking in Japan emphasise the limits of self-reliance, and increase knowledge around suicide prevention and professional psychological services.

Facilitators and barriers of mental health help-seeking behaviours among adolescents in Oman: a cross-sectional study

Objectives This study aimed to explore and identify facilitators and barriers to help-seeking behaviours among adolescents in Oman, by exploring the relationship between knowledge, attitude, and behaviour towards mental health help-seeking. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was used and 424 adolescents were recruited to participate in the study. Participants were asked to complete five self-reported questionnaires, including two open-ended questions about the main motivations and barriers to seeking professional help for mental problems. Results It was found that those with positive help-seeking attitudes towards mental health were more knowledgeable about mental health, had more positive attitudes towards mental illness, and had higher intention to help seeking. On the contrary, those with higher help-seeker stereotypes had more negative attitudes towards mental illness. Having an adequate support system, being positive and knowledgeable about mental illness, and the reputation of mental health are the main factors facilitating seeking professional help. However, fear, lack of family support, and the time-consuming procedures were the main barriers emerging from the open-ended questions. Conclusions This study contributes by identifying facilitating factors as well as barriers in an Arabic context (Oman) to fill the exiting knowledge gap; both need to be considered when planning interventions targeting the younger individuals in this society.

The Influence of Social Support, Help-Seeking Attitudes and Help-Seeking Intentions on Older Australians' use of Mental Health Services for Depression and Anxiety Symptoms.

This study investigated the influence of predisposing factors (social support, help-seeking attitudes and help-seeking intentions) on older Australian adults' use of mental health services for depression and/or anxiety symptoms. Participants were 214 older Australian adults (61% female; aged between 60 and 96 years; M = 75.15 years, SD = 8.40 years) who completed a self-report questionnaire that measured predisposing factors and lifetime mental health service use for depression and/or anxiety symptoms. Higher levels of social support predicted non-use of mental health services. When this relationship was serially mediated by help-seeking attitudes and help-seeking intentions, it predicted mental health service use for depression and/or anxiety. Older adults are less likely to seek help for depression and/or anxiety symptoms unless members of their social support network encourage positive help-seeking attitudes, which lead to positive help-seeking intentions and the subsequent use of mental health services.

Historically underrepresented college students and institutional natural mentors: An ecological analysis of the development of these relationships at predominantly White institutions.

Despite studies examining outcomes associated with having a natural mentoring relationship with an institutional agent in a higher education setting, few studies have investigated the formation of these relationships among historically underrepresented college students. Institutional agents refer to any instructor, staff, or administrator on the college campus. This cross-sectional study used an ecological approach to explore the factors associated with natural mentoring relationships between historically underrepresented college students and institutional agents. Participants were 521 college students (75% female, Mage = 20.27) across two predominantly White institutions. Multiple logistic regression demonstrated that older age, more positive help-seeking attitudes toward adults, stronger instructor relationships, having an off-campus mentor, and a higher sense of belonging on campus were associated with having an institutional natural mentor. Findings from this study contribute to the growing area of research on mentoring relationships of historically underrepresented college students. Implications are discussed.

Inclusiveness of the Concept of Mental Disorder and Differences in Help-Seeking Between Asian and White Americans.

Ethnic and racial group differences in help-seeking are a barrier to the effective and equitable delivery of mental health services. Asian American populations demonstrate relatively low levels of help-seeking. Explanations for this effect typically point to elevated levels of stigma in these populations. An alternative explanation is that low help-seeking might also reflect holding a relatively circumscribed concept of mental disorder. Individuals and groups with less inclusive concepts of disorder may be less likely to identify problems as appropriate for mental health treatment. This study aimed to test whether group differences in the breadth of the mental disorder concept account for group differences in help-seeking attitudes. A sample of 212 American participants (102 Asian Americans and 110 White Americans) were assessed on personal stigma, help-seeking attitudes, and mental disorder concept breadth. Mediation analyses examined whether stigma and concept breadth mediated group differences in attitudes. Compared to White Americans, Asian Americans reported higher levels of stigma and narrower concepts of mental disorder, both of which were associated with less positive help-seeking attitudes. Stigma and concept breadth both partially mediated the group difference in attitudes. Theoretical and practical implications for mental health promotion and culturally sensitive clinical practices are explored.

The influence of contact with mental health services on carers’ help-seeking attitudes: contribution of stigma and affective state

Background Carers who experience stigma and aversion to help-seeking could have a detrimental impact on consumers of mental health services (MHS). Aim This study aimed to investigate the relationship between carers’ experiences with MHS, stigma, affective state and help-seeking attitudes. Methods Fifty-seven carers of people with a mental illness completed an online survey including demographics about the carer and consumer, carers’ experience with MHS, Days’ mental illness stigma scale, the inventory of attitudes towards seeking mental health services and the depression–happiness scale. Results Carer responses evenly reflected positive and negative experiences with MHS. There were significant correlations between experiences of MHS and stigma, attitudes towards help-seeking, and affective state. Carers who reported negative experiences of MHS demonstrated reduced help-seeking attitudes. Both stigma and affective state independently reduced the association between positive experiences of MHS and more positive help-seeking attitudes. When all three variables were included in the regression model, stigma was the only significant predictor of reduced help-seeking attitudes. Conclusions MHS must establish positive engagement with carers, as this is associated with positive help-seeking attitudes. Negative experiences of MHS exacerbate carer stigma. Positive interactions between MHS and carers likely facilitate better access to care for consumers and improve clinical outcomes.

Predictors of acceptability and engagement in a self-guided online program for depression and anxiety

BackgroundLow engagement with self-guided online programs limits the potential of these programs to provide effective and low-cost treatment of mild to moderate depression and anxiety at scale. Identifying factors that increase uptake and adherence in self-guided online programs may facilitate the development of targeted implementation strategies to increase engagement with these programs in the community. Using data from a randomized controlled trial of a self-guided online program for depression and anxiety, the aim of this study was to identify predictors of the acceptability of internet-based psychological programs, and engagement (uptake and adherence) with the online program tested in the trial. MethodsA total of 556 community members with elevated symptoms of depression or anxiety were recruited via social media into the two active conditions of a three-arm randomized controlled trial. This trial tested the effectiveness of a 7-week self-guided online program for depression and anxiety called myCompass 2, delivered with or without an Engagement-Facilitation Intervention. Predictors of uptake (accessing at least one therapeutic module of the program), adherence (modules completed), and acceptability of internet-based psychological programs (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, UTAUT scale) were examined, including demographics, mental health status, help-seeking attitudes, stigma, acceptability of internet programs, and personality factors. ResultsLogistic regression demonstrated that higher levels of conscientiousness (OR = 1.06, p = .026, 95% CI =1.01–1.12), and acceptability of internet-based psychological programs (OR = 1.09, p = .005, 95% CI =1.03–1.16) predicted greater uptake, and that failing to complete a module was predicted by lower levels of acceptability (OR = 0.88, p = .027, 95% CI =0.78–0.99). Linear regression showed that higher levels of agreeableness (t = 4.66, p < .001), lower levels of stigma (t = −2.28, p = .023) and more positive help-seeking attitudes (t = 2.05, p = .041) predicted higher acceptability attitudes. DiscussionAcceptability of internet-based psychological programs was identified as a factor that increased both uptake and adherence to the myCompass 2 program. Efforts to increase the acceptability of these programs may improve engagement with these programs in the community. It may also be useful to consider personality traits and clinical profiles when considering the appropriate audience for self-guided internet interventions.

Predictors of attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among Turkish college students

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine correlates of attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among Turkish college students. A convenience sample of 1066 students from a large Turkish public university completed the measures of the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form, Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale, Disclosure Expectations Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Single Item Self-Rated Health Scale, and Sociodemographic Information Form. Data were analyzed using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. The results of this study suggested that being female, being older, having previous help-seeking experience, as well as lower levels of anticipated risks, self-stigma, self-esteem, and self-rated health and higher levels of anticipated benefits were associated with positive help-seeking attitudes among Turkish college students. The results of the present study may contribute to determining cross-cultural correlates of help-seeking attitudes among college students.

Can targeting information on cancer-related psychosocial services by male gender and rurality improve attitude to service use in this difficult-to-engage population?

Rural men affected by cancer are difficult to engage in psychosocial support services. This exploratory study tested whether exposure to printed brochures describing services, distinguished by a focus on rural men affected by cancer, resulted in more positive help-seeking attitudes than exposure to material focused on rural location only or generic cancer support material. Targeted versions of a South Australian Cancer Council service brochure were developed to enhance cultural appropriateness, consistent with the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Rural men affected by cancer were recruited via supportive accommodation and randomized to receive one of the three brochures. The primary outcome was positive attitude to help-seeking at post-test (between 1 and 2 days). Negative attitudes to help-seeking, intention to seek help, perceived isolation, and service use were secondary outcomes; perceived information relevance at immediate post-test was also measured. Analysis (N = 114) indicated no detectable group differences (rurality/male gender, n = 33; rurality, n = 41; control, n = 40) on primary or secondary outcome measures (p > 0.05). Participants' existing service use was high, due to the recruitment methods. Support service information was primarily sourced from other people (e.g., friends/family, 22.22%; medical professionals, 27.27%). Existing service use rates suggest that ceiling effects obscured any potential benefit from demographic targeting of materials. Further research should consider building understanding about the acceptability of targeting techniques in this population, replication with materials designed with greater consumer input, and employ samples recruited outside a support service.

The Role of Enculturation on the Help-Seeking Attitudes Among Filipino Americans in Guam

The present study examined the association between enculturation and mental health help-seeking attitudes and the mediation of self-stigma on this association among Filipino American college students in Guam. A total of 110 self-identified Filipino American students in a public university completed an online survey, including questionnaires to assess enculturation, mental health help-seeking attitudes, and self-stigma. As hypothesized, enculturation was negatively associated with mental health help-seeking attitudes, and this association was fully mediated by self-stigma, above and beyond the contributions of covariates, such as age, socioeconomic status, generational status, gender, English fluency, and mental health problems. In other words, higher levels of enculturation were associated with greater levels of self-stigma, which in turn led to lower levels of positive help-seeking attitudes. Clinical and counseling implications for mental health help-seeking among Filipino Americans in Guam or Pacific islands are discussed.

Age differences in public stigma, self-stigma, and attitudes toward seeking help: A moderated mediation model.

Stigma is commonly identified as a key reason that older adults are especially unlikely to seek mental health services, although few studies have tested this assumption. Our objectives were to: (a) examine age differences in public and self-stigma of seeking help, and attitudes toward seeking help, and (b) see whether age moderates an internalized stigma of seeking help model. A total of 5,712 Canadians ranging in age from 18 to 101 completed self-report measures of public stigma of seeking help, self-stigma of seeking help, and help-seeking attitudes. Older participants had the lowest levels of stigma and the most positive help-seeking attitudes. Age also moderated the mediation model, such that the indirect effect of public stigma on help-seeking attitudes through self-stigma was strongest for older participants. Our findings have implications for the influence of stigma and attitudes as barriers to treatment across the adult lifespan, and for stigma reduction interventions.

Help-seeking attitudes, locus of control, and emotional expressivity in Hong Kong and Western people

ABSTRACTThe current study investigated whether the relationship between help-seeking attitudes and locus of control varied across Hong Kong and Western people. The relationship between help-seeking and locus of control was examined with consideration of emotional expressivity, age, sex, and ethnicity. 83 Hong Kong locals and 79 Westerners were asked to complete the Inventory of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services, Rotter’s Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, and Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire. The results show that Hong Kong locals have less positive help-seeking attitudes compared with Western people. Internal locus of control and high emotional expressiveness can indicate positive help-seeking attitudes. Nevertheless, locus of control is a stronger indicator for Western people than for Hong Kong people.

How Medical Students’ Compassionate Values Influence Help-Seeking Barriers

Theory: Despite high rates of psychiatric illnesses, medical students and medical professionals often avoid psychological help. Stigma may prevent medical students from seeking psychological help when experiencing distress, which may hinder their job performance and mental health. Compassionate values—preferred principles that guide attitudes and behaviors to focus on the wellness of others—may be a relevant predictor of medical students’ perceptions of psychological help. The present study examined the association between medical students’ compassionate values, help-seeking stigma, and help-seeking attitudes in a convenience sample of medical students. Hypotheses: Rating compassionate values as more important than self-interested values will be associated with less stigma, which in turn will be associated with more positive help-seeking attitudes. Method: There were 220 medical students in their 2nd year of medical training who were recruited in-class and through e-mail between January and March of 2017 at Des Moines University. Students were provided an anonymous online link to a survey composed of validated measures assessing values, psychological distress, and stigma and attitudes related to psychological help. Results: The survey response rate was 41%, leaving a final sample of 91. For every 1 SD increase in the relative importance of compassionate values over self-interested values, help-seeking stigma decreased 0.40 SDs, and help-seeking attitudes increased 0.23 SDs. Conclusions: Prioritizing compassionate values more strongly than self-interested values is associated with medical students’ perceiving psychological help-seeking more positively.