Help-seeking Preferences Research Articles

Why do young men not seek help for affective mental health issues? A systematic review of perceived barriers and facilitators among adolescent boys and young men.

Men are less likely to seek help for their mental health than women, but less is known about the specific patterns of help-seeking in adolescent boys and young men. This is concerning as adolescent boys and young men have high suicide rates but a low take-up of services. It is therefore of particular importance that the access needs of this group are understood. This review sought to identify the barriers and facilitators faced by adolescent boys and young men in help-seeking for affective mental health disorders. A search of the PubMed, APA PsycInfo, and Cochrane databases identified 3961 articles, of which 12 met the inclusion criteria. Six of the studies were qualitative, five were quantitative and one used mixed methods. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the quality of the articles. Five key themes were identified, including the impact of social norms, with the subthemes of conformity to masculine norms and self-stigma, limited availability of information about mental health, and 'male-friendly' mental health literacy campaigns. Other themes referred to the help-seeking preferences of adolescent boys and young men, in terms of informal or formal and online or offline help-seeking. Some of the factors were well-researched (e.g., conformity to masculine norms as a barrier) whereas other factors (e.g., self-compassion as a facilitator) were less researched. These barriers and facilitators need to be considered in the development of future strategies to improve the help-seeking behaviour of adolescent boys and young men.

Men's peer support for mental health challenges: future directions for research and practice.

Peer support has a long history of helping people navigate mental health challenges and is increasingly utilized within men's mental health promotion initiatives. Despite considerable research conceptualizing and evaluating peer support in various contexts, little is known about the gendered dimensions of men's peer support and mutual help for mental health. This article provides an empirically informed commentary on men's peer support and informal help-seeking preferences to make recommendations for future directions for research and practice. Research examining men's peer support is emergent and the available evidence suggests that there is potential to conceptually align with many men's values and preferences for mental health help-seeking. Peer support offers a non-clinical, strength-based adjunct to professional support that may aid men in navigating a range of mental health challenges. Consideration must be given to the influence of gender socialization and men's diverse experiences with developing and maintaining peer relationships. It should not be assumed that authentic and supportive relationships will naturally form when men congregate together. As a growing number of interventions and programs emerge targeted at boys and men, there are important opportunities to leverage these health promotion efforts to encourage and coach men to engage in mutual help. Opportunities for research and practice are discussed to better understand and harness the health-promoting potential of peer support for men's mental health.

Help-seeking preference in obtaining social support for older adults in depopulated areas.

To clarify the circumstances of help-seeking preference among older adults in depopulated areas and the relationship between help-seeking preference and social support. This was a cross-sectional study that included a sample of 271 men and women aged 65-79 years living in Japan. A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess help-seeking preference, social cohesion (community trust, norms of reciprocity and community attachment), socialising (interaction with neighbors and social network) and social support. Multiple regression analysis was performed with items that were found to be significantly associated with social support in the univariate analysis. Then, we examined the significance of the change in the coefficient of determination between a model that included help-seeking preference as an independent variable and a model that did not. Social support was related to help-seeking preference, living arrangements, economic status, norms of reciprocity and social networks. There was a significant difference in the coefficient of determination between the models with and without help-seeking preference. For older adults in depopulated areas to obtain social support, it is important to build trusting relationships with others and shows a willingness to seek and accept help.

Impact of Academic Stress on Help-Seeking Attitudes Among Nursing Students of Kathmandu District

Background Depression, anxiety and stress are treatable conditions. However, a vast majority of people avoid seeking professional help. Interventions aiming to improve help-seeking attitudes among affected individuals, particularly within academic settings, often demonstrate limited efficacy. This study explores the relationship between academic stress and help-seeking attitudes among nursing students.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 nursing students in Kathmandu district using simple random sampling. Data were collected using the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS21) and additional survey questions. Statistical analysis employed chi-square tests to explore relationships between variables.ResultsFindings indicated that 14% of respondents had mild depression, 30% moderate depression, and 8.7% severe depression. Similarly, levels of anxiety and stress were observed, with significant associations between depression and stress related to academics (p-value 0.002). Help-seeking preferences revealed that students were more inclined to seek support from friends or intimate partners.Conclusions This study highlights the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among nursing students with notable associations to their academia. Importantly, the findings emphasize the need for tailored interventions to address mental health concerns and foster proactive help-seeking attitudes among students. Further research and targeted strategies are warranted to enhance the effectiveness of interventions in this context.

The Ws of Parental Help-Seeking: When, Where, and for What Do Parents Seek Help for Child Mental Health.

Parental help-seeking preferences may help explain the treatment gap in child mental health. This study examined mothers' and fathers' help-seeking behaviors for child mental health to further understand their individual preferences for treatment. A total of 394 mothers and fathers completed questionnaires assessing the types of help sought for mental health concerns for a target child (age 3-7years), as well as measures representing illness profile, predisposing characteristics, and barriers/facilitators proposed to influence help-seeking. Parents often sought informal rather than professional help. Regression modelling indicated mothers' different help-seeking behaviors were significantly associated with illness profile (marital quality, child mental health, parental education), predisposing factors (parental attributions, child age), and family income, while fathers' different help-seeking behaviors were significantly associated with child demographics (age, gender). The results support expanding treatments into nonclinical settings and improving child mental health literacy to improve appropriate parental help-seeking for child mental health concerns.

Patterns of help-seeking behavior among people with mental illness in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Despite the availability of evidence-based and effective treatments, significant numbers of people living with mental illness do not receive treatment or do not seek help from providers of formal modern treatment. Although numerous primary studies have been conducted on patterns of help-seeking behavior among individuals with mental illness with respect to modern therapy, the evidence has not been aggregated nationwide. Therefore, the aim of this review was to investigate pooled data on patterns of help-seeking behavior among individuals with mental illness in Ethiopia. All available primary studies were searched via the Google Scholar, HINARI, and PubMed databases from June 22 to December 20, 2023; 912 articles were identified. Sixteen articles were included in the final review; data from them were extracted to an Excel spreadsheet and exported to Stata version 17 for analysis. The search terms used were: "Pattern of help-seeking behavior'' OR "Pattern of treatment-seeking behavior" OR "Health care-seeking behavior" OR "Help-seeking intention" OR "Help-seeking preferences" OR "Perceived need" OR "Pathways to psychiatric care", AND "Common mental disorders" OR "Mental illness" OR "Mental health problems" OR "Depression", AND "Predictors" OR "Determinate factors" OR "Associated factors", AND "Ethiopia". The quality of the studies included was critically appraised using the modified The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tool, adapted for observational studies. During critical appraisal, disagreements between the two authors conducting the assessment were resolved by the involvement of a third author. Effect sizes were pooled using the random effects model, and the presence of publication bias was detected based on asymmetry of the funnel plot and a statistically significant result of Egger's test (p<0.05). The pooled rate of positive help-seeking behavior with respect to modern treatment among people living with mental illness was 42.21% (95% CI: 29.29, 55.12; I2 = 99.37%, P=0.00). Factors significantly associated with a positive pattern of help-seeking behavior were: having a secondary education or above (AOR=5.47, 95% CI: 2.33, 12.86); believing that mental illness requires treatment (AOR=2.76, 95% CI: 2.02, 3.78); having strong social support (AOR=2.00, 95% CI: 1.64, 2.44); having a family history of mental illness (AOR=2.68, 95% CI: 1.38, 3.97); having awareness of the availability of treatment (AOR=2.92, 95% CI: 1.56, 5.46); having previously engaged in positive help-seeking behavior (AOR=3.28, 95% CI: 1.63, 6.60); having comorbid disorders (AOR=4.25, 95% CI: 1.69, 10.66); not using alcohol (AOR=3.29, 95% CI: 1.73, 6.27); and the perceived severity of mental illness (AOR=2.54, 95% CI: 1.490, 4.33). The majority of people with mental illness in Ethiopia exhibited a poor pattern of help-seeking behavior with respect to modern treatment. Therefore, mobilization of the community should be encouraged via regular public awareness campaigns regarding mental illness and the availability of evidence-based and effective modern treatment in Ethiopia. Moreover, the design of effective community-based mental health interventions is recommended in order to improve public attitudes and rates of help-seeking behavior in relation to mental health problems.

Help-Seeking Preferences and Influencing Factors Among Chinese Nurses Exposed to COVID-19: A Person-Centered Approach

ABSTRACT Purpose This study aimed to explore help-seeking preference categories and crucial influencing factors among community nurses exposed to COVID-19 in China using a new person-centered approach. Design A cross-sectional design including an online self-reported questionnaire survey was used. Methods A total of 667 nurses who participated in COVID-19 prevention and control work were recruited. Latent class analysis and logistic regression were used to analyze the data using Mplus and SPSS. Findings Two latent classes of help-seeking preferences were identified: high help-seeking preferences (33.58%) and low help-seeking preferences (66.42%). Most sampled nurses had relatively low help-seeking preferences when facing psychological threats during COVID-19. Logistic regression showed that career duration, perceived social support, online help-seeking intention, and social media exposure negatively affected low help-seeking preferences. Conclusions Career duration, perceived social support, online help-seeking intention, and social media exposure could be key factors influencing help-seeking preferences among Chinese nurses exposed to public emergencies. It is necessary to implement relevant intervention measures, such as focusing on nurses whose career durations are shorter, improving nurses’ perceived social support, strengthening positive media publicity, and developing comprehensive online mental health services that promote nurses’ help-seeking preferences and behaviors to reduce mental illness during public health emergencies. Clinical Evidence Help-seeking preferences are relatively low among Chinese nurses during public emergencies. Based on the major influencing factors of help-seeking preferences, including social support and social media exposure, more interventions must be developed for prompting psychological help-seeking intentions among Chinese nurses.

Pathways to mental health care: Latinos’ help-seeking preferences.

Pathways to mental health care: Latinos’ help-seeking preferences.

Investigation of factors related to help-seeking preference of elderly people at home in the community

Investigation of factors related to help-seeking preference of elderly people at home in the community

Relationship between drinking risk and preferences for helping resources among emerging adults living in disadvantaged communities in the Southeastern United States.

Compared to campus-based alcohol interventions for college students, services for emerging adult (EA) risky drinkers who reside off-campus in disadvantaged communities are not well established. This web survey assessed drinking practices, problems, and preferences for professional and lay helping resources spanning digital and in-person formats among community-dwelling EAs to guide services for them and determine whether drinking risk levels varied by preferences for help. Digital respondent-driven sampling recruited EA risky drinkers from disadvantaged communities (N = 356; M age = 23.6years, 64.0% women, 77.4% employed, 64.9% residing in impoverished areas above the US average, 53.5% income < $20k/year). A web survey assessed participants' drinking practices and problems, including alcohol use disorder symptoms, and help-seeking preferences for smartphone apps; online help; in-person help from doctors, clinics, teachers, and school programs; mutual help groups; and help from friends and family. Preferences were related to participant drinking risks using generalized linear modeling. Modeling results showed that risk levels were related to help-seeking preferences. EAs reporting more negative consequences preferred smartphone apps and help from friends, whereas EAs reporting fewer negative consequences and drinking days preferred professional in-person help (Ps < 0.05). Although >90% fulfilled alcohol use disorder diagnostic criteria, <4% had received an alcohol-related intervention. EAs who are riskier drinkers appear less likely to use professional resources in favor of informal and online resources that allow greater anonymity. Findings can guide services for this underserved population that are responsive to drinker risk levels.

Measuring Mental Health Service Preferences Amongst Illinois Dairy Producers

ABSTRACT Objectives To mitigate mental health concerns of farmers, research is needed to investigate strategies that encourage help-seeking behavior in this population. This study attempts to identify those help-seeking strategies. Six mental health service options were examined. Methods A survey, implementing a best-worst scaling choice experiment, was disseminated to members of the Illinois Milk Producers Association. Two methods of analysis were conducted. The first, a count-based method, employs a simple count-based approach to measure the relative preferences for the six mental health service options in question. The second is more complex and employs a latent-class logit regression model to measure individual preferences. Results The mental-health service options, ranked in order from most preferred to least preferred were: 1) speak to family and friends, 2) keep it to myself, 3) utilize programs offered by agricultural organizations, 4) search online for self-help resources, 5) talk to a mental health professional, and 6) use “tele-health” support services. Conclusion This study examined an important gap in the literature concerning help-seeking preferences of dairy farmers. It is the first to utilize a choice experiment approach to assess help-seeking preferences among this understudied population. Results provide important empirical evidence to support distinct categories of farmers who may be weighing options regarding how to best address their mental health concerns.

Mental health help-seeking preferences and behaviour in elite male rugby players

ObjectivesMental health symptoms and mental illnesses are common in elite athletes. There is an urgent need to develop care systems to support the mental health of elite athletes. Understanding elite...

Help-seeking preferences in Australian mental health website visitors: A latent profile analysis.

Psychological distress and suicide rates are climbing in Australia despite substantial mental health programme investment in recent decades. Understanding where individuals prefer to seek support in the event of a personal or emotional crisis may help target mental health resources to where they are most needed. This study aimed to explore individual differences in help-seeking preferences that may be leveraged for early intervention and mental health service design. Latent profile analysis was used to explore the help-seeking preferences of 1561 Australian online help-seekers who elected to complete a psychological distress screening on a popular mental health website, Beyond Blue. Four latent profiles of help-seeker emerged that illustrate distinct preference channels for support: help-negaters, professional help-seekers, family help-seekers and help-affirmatives. Help-negaters were the least likely to consider seeking help from any source, recorded the highest levels of psychological distress and suicidal ideation, and were more likely to be younger. Help-affirmatives were the most likely to seek help from any source, particularly from religious leaders, and were more likely to speak a language other than English at home. Many individuals experiencing mental health concerns will prefer to seek support from family or community contacts rather than professionals, and some will not seek help at all. Diversity in help-seeking preferences should be considered when designing mental health services, outreach and psychoeducation materials.

Resilience pathways and help-seeking preferences for Ontario police services

Despite the availability of mental health services, post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSI) among Canadian police services members continue to be significantly more prevalent than in the general population. The purpose of this study was to identify sources of resilience and help-seeking preferences among Ontario police personnel. We used a path analysis of online survey data to test the direct and indirect effects of mental and physical health, stress, health literacy, and attitudes toward mental health treatment on life satisfaction, community belonging, and resilience, while controlling for social contextual factors. Self-rated mental health, life satisfaction, and community belonging directly predicted resilience. Multiple positive indirect effects on resilience emerged, including from attitudes towards mental health treatment via community belonging, and mental health and community belonging, both via life satisfaction. Life stress had a negative indirect effect on resilience via life satisfaction. This study offers initial evidence of factors that influence resilience among police personnel and suggests that efforts to support resilience in this population may be well served by focusing on enhancing life satisfaction and community belonging.

In Search of Safe Spaces: An Exploratory Study of the Anticipated Help-Seeking Needs and Preferences of Protestant Christian Women in Singapore with Respect to a Hypothetical Abortion Scenario

Research suggests that religious beliefs may contribute to abortion stigma, resulting in increased secrecy, reduced social support and help-seeking as well as poor coping and negative emotional consequences such as shame and guilt. This study sought to explore the anticipated help-seeking preferences and difficulties of Protestant Christian women in Singapore with regard to a hypothetical abortion scenario. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 self-identified Christian women recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. The sample was largely Singaporean and all participants were ethnically Chinese females of a similar age range (late twenties to mid-thirties). All willing participants were recruited regardless of denomination. All participants anticipated experiences of felt, enacted and internalized stigma. These were affected by their perceptions of God (e.g., how they see abortion), their personal definitions of “life” and their perceptions of their religio-social environment (e.g., perceived social safety and fears). These concerns contributed to participants choosing both faith-based and secular formal support sources with caveats, despite a primary preference for faith-based informal support and secondary preference for faith-based formal support. All participants anticipated negative post-abortion emotional outcomes, coping difficulties and short-term decision dissatisfaction. However, participants who reported more accepting views of abortion also anticipated an increase in decision satisfaction and well-being in the longer term.

Public stigma and treatment preferences for alcohol use disorders

BackgroundAlcohol use disorders (AUD) are among the most highly stigmatized medical conditions. Only a minority of individuals with AUD seek treatment, and stigma is one of the most prominent barriers to treatment-seeking. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the associations between stigma and preferences for help-seeking, and the associations between stigma and preferences for treatment seeking.Aimto investigate the associations between stigma and preferences for where to seek help and treatment for AUD. As sub-analyses, associations between stigma, level of alcohol use and preferences for help-seeking and treatment preferences will be analyzed.MethodCross-sectional design, including n = 3037 participants aged 30 – 65 years, living in Denmark. Data: In 2020, an online questionnaire was administered by a market research company. The questionnaire covered demographics, preferences for help-seeking and treatment for AUD, stigma measured with the Difference, Disdain & Blame Scales for Public Stigma, and alcohol use measured with the Alcohol Use Disorder Test (AUDIT). Analyses: restricted cubic spline models were applied to model outcomes. Odds ratios were calculated.ResultsA lower level of stigma was associated with a higher probability of preferring formal and informal help-seeking for AUD. Both high and low levels of stigma were associated with a higher probability of preferring to consult general practitioners. Stigma was not associated with other preferences for treatment-seeking, nor trying to change oneself or a passive strategy. The sub-analyses, grouped by level of alcohol use, showed similar results.ConclusionStigma is associated with lower preferences for formal and informal help-seeking, however not type of treatment preferred. Future studies should address stigma in relation to other factors of the treatment-seeking process.

The rise in acceptance of mental health professionals: help-seeking recommendations of the German public 1990-2020.

We will first examine whether seeking help for depression and schizophrenia from mental health professionals is nowadays more accepted among the German public than it used to be 30 years ago. Next, we will explore whether changes in help-seeking preferences between 1990 and 2020 are specific to mental health professions or are part of changes in attitudes to professional help-seeking in general. Finally, we will study whether a temporal relationship does exist between the advent of awareness-raising and anti-stigma campaigns after the turn of the millennium and changes in the acceptance of mental health care. In 1990 (n = 2044), 2001 (n = 4005), 2011 (n = 1984) and 2020 (n = 2449) methodologically identical population-based surveys were conducted in Germany. After presentation of an unlabelled case vignette depicting someone with either schizophrenia or depression, we asked about help-seeking recommendations for the person described. The German public's readiness to recommend seeking help from mental health professionals has markedly grown over the past 30 years. In contrast, in the eyes of the public, turning to a general practitioner has become only slightly more, consulting a priest even less advisable than it used to be three decades ago. Seeing a naturopath is seen with markedly less disapproval today compared to 1990, but explicit recommendation of this helping source has not increased correspondingly in. The most pronounced increase in the German public's propensity to recommend seeking help from mental health professionals occurred already in the 1990s, i.e. before efforts to heighten public awareness had started. Today, the German public is more in favour of mental health professionals than it used to be three decades ago. This seems to be a specific trend, and not to reflecting an increasing propensity towards professional help-seeking in general. Our findings counter the narrative that mental health communication efforts and initiatives have created more favourable attitudes towards mental health care among the public, since the observed changes in attitudes have preceded any campaigns. Instead, we tend to interpret the rise of the popularity of mental health professionals as a reflection of general cultural changes that have taken place over the past decades in Germany, as in other western countries.

Effects of a Psycho-Educational Program on Help-Seeking Preferences and Skills in Elementary School Children: Implications for Suicide Prevention Education

本研究では，小学生を対象に，自殺予防の保護因子としての援助要請に焦点をあて，それらに関わる態度やスキルの向上をねらいとする心理教育プログラム（SOS の出し方・受け止め方に関する教育）の効果を検討し，今後の自殺予防教育への示唆を得ることを目的とした。計2回の授業から構成されるプログラムを学級単位で実施し，友人・教師に対する被援助志向性，援助要請スキル，友人に対する援助スキルを測定する尺度を用いた自記式質問紙により効果検討を行った。対象となった小学5, 6年生111名のデータを用いて解析を行った結果，援助要請スキルや友人に対する援助スキルなどにおいてプログラムの肯定的な効果が示された一方，友人に対する被援助志向性の一部の下位尺度では男子児童と女子児童で効果の及び方に違いが生じていた。また，プログラムの実施前後における援助・被援助のスキル（援助要請スキルと友人に対する援助スキル）と友人・教師に対する被援助志向性の変化の関連について，部分的に有意な結果が示され，これらの関連は特に女子児童において特徴的であった可能性が推察された。以上の結果を踏まえて，今後の小学生を対象とした自殺予防教育に関する実践および研究の発展可能性について考察した。

Psychological Distress and Help-seeking Behaviour: Chinese International Students in New Zealand

With high numbers of Chinese international tertiary students worldwide, it is important that institutions understand how best to establish environments that support positive mental health in this student group. This study used a mixed methods approach via an online survey to explore levels of psychological distress, help-seeking preferences, and engagement with counselling among Chinese international students at a New Zealand university. Findings support existing literature showing that Chinese international tertiary students experience high levels of distress and under-utilise counselling and other campus services, while the relationship between students and family is an important consideration to assist in mitigating psychological distress. Culturally appropriate interventions are needed to improve the wellbeing, and aid the integration, of Chinese students to their host country and educational environment.

High prevalence of suicide-related internet use among patients with depressive disorders – a cross-sectional study with psychiatric in-patients

The association between Internet use and suicidal behavior is a subject of intense research. Internet use patterns of patients with depressive disorders were assessed to determine the prevalence and aim of browsing for suicide-related contents and its impact on help-seeking. Self-administered questionnaire among psychiatric in-patients treated for depression was used to assess suicidal behavior, characteristics of Internet use and help-seeking preferences. 113 psychiatric in-patients with depressive disorders participated in the study. One-third had a history of life-time suicide attempt and the majority had already encountered suicide-related contents while browsing the Internet. 27.4% reported intentional and specific search for suicidal contents. This suicide-related Internet user (SRIU) group was characterized by younger age, single status, more frequent suicidal ideations, and they more likely considered that they would attempt suicide in the future. Among patients with depressive disorders, a sub-group was identified with a potential higher suicide risk. The frequent use of the Internet and online help-seeking preference may provide an opportunity to prevent suicidal behavior in this high-risk sub-group. Further research is needed into the possibilities of using the Internet more effectively for suicide prevention.