scholarly journals Mental health stigma and professional help-seeking attitudes a comparison between Cuba and Germany

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246501
Author(s):  
Laura Nohr ◽  
Alexis Lorenzo Ruiz ◽  
Juan E. Sandoval Ferrer ◽  
Ulrike Buhlmann
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Stigma ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Help Seeking Attitudes ◽  
German Sample ◽  
Community Attitudes

Globally the burden due to mental disorders is continuously increasing. Still, professional help-seeking behavior is not fully understood. To conceive cultural determinants of help-seeking is crucial to reduce personal and social costs of (untreated) mental disorders. The current study investigates mental health stigma and help-seeking attitudes in a Cuban (n = 195) and a German (n = 165) sample. In a questionnaire survey we asked for attitudes towards mental illness and professional help-seeking in the general Cuban and German populations. The cultural context was associated with mental health stigma and professional help-seeking attitudes. Interestingly, Cuban participants reported stronger mental health stigma and more willingness to seek help. In multiple hierarchical regression analyses, community attitudes towards the mentally ill significantly predicted help-seeking attitudes, especially in the Cuban sample. Only in the German sample, more negative individual beliefs about mental illness predicted more self-stigma on help-seeking. Beyond that, cultural context moderated the association between mental health stigma and help-seeking attitudes with a stronger association between the measures in the German sample. However, gender did not predict help-seeking attitudes and self-stigma on help-seeking and no interactions between community attitudes, cultural context, and gender were found in the prediction of help-seeking attitudes. Similarities and differences between the samples are discussed in the light of the cultural contexts and peculiarities of the current samples. Concluding, implications of the current findings are reviewed.

Mental health literacy among Arab university students in Israel: A qualitative study

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110361
Author(s):  
Anwar Khatib ◽  
Fareeda Abo-Rass
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Arab Population ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Arab Students

Background: There has been a noticeable increase in the number of studies concerned with mental health literacy (MHL), specifically among students. Still, very few studies have examined MHL among students of non-Western minority groups. Aims: This study examined MHL among Arab students in Israel based on Jorm’s conceptual framework. Methods: Twenty-eight Arab students in Israel took part in semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Most were single and Muslim, in their second year of studies, and most reported low socioeconomic status. The data were analyzed thematically, guided by the Jorm’s six MHL dimensions. Results: Different levels of literacy were found in the various MHL dimensions. The participants identified severe mental disorders more easily than mood disorders; reported a variety of possible causes of mental disorders; were well aware of available professional help (apart for rehabilitative services); identified significant barriers to mental health help seeking, as Arabs; and reported the internet as a major source of information about mental health problems and their treatment Conclusions: The participants’ MHL appeared to be associated with their unique sociocultural characteristics. This study stresses the need to raise MHL among Arab students in Israel, and in particular to promote positive attitudes to seeking professional help. It also highlights the need to develop culturally adapted mental health interventions for the Arab population in Israel.

Stigma and its impact on help-seeking for mental disorders: what do we know?

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Schomerus ◽  
Matthias C. Angermeyer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Promising Target ◽  
Individual Discrimination ◽  
Stigma Of Mental Illness ◽  
Seeking Help

SummaryAims – Many people suffering from serious mental illness do not seek appropriate medical help. The stigma of mental illness has often been considered a potential cause for reluctance in seeking help. We review recent evidence on this topic. Methods – Narrative review of the recent literature on stigma and helpseeking for psychiatric disorders. Results – There is proof of a particular stigma attached to seeking help for a mental problem. Anticipated individual discrimination and discrimination qua self-stigmatisation are associated with a reduced readiness to seek professional help for mental disorders. Intervention studies show that destigmatisation may lead to increased readiness to seek professional help, but other aspects like knowledge about mental diseases seem to be at least as important. The belief that seeking help for a mental health problem is actually helpful has been shown to be at the core of help-seeking intentions and thus offers a promising target for information programmes. Population based time-trend studies show that public attitudes towards help-seeking have improved over the last decade. Discussion – The relationship between help-seeking intentions and actual help-seeking needs further exploration. While many studies have been able to relate attitudes to intentions, predicting actual help-seeking has proved more difficult.Declaration of Interest: None.

scholarly journals Shame, perceived knowledge and satisfaction associated with mental health as predictors of attitude patterns towards help-seeking

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Rüsch ◽  
M. Müller ◽  
V. Ajdacic-Gross ◽  
S. Rodgers ◽  
P.W. Corrigan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Service Use ◽  
Psychiatric Medication ◽  
Perceived Knowledge ◽  
Professional Help

Aims.To examine stigma- and knowledge-related barriers to help-seeking among members of the general population.Methods.In a representative survey of young to middle-aged Swiss adults (n = 8875), shame about a potential own mental illness, perceived knowledge about and satisfaction with one's mental health, psychiatric symptoms and attitudes towards help-seeking were assessed.Results.A latent profile analysis of all participants yielded two groups with different attitudes towards help-seeking. Relative to the majority, a one-in-four subgroup endorsed more negative attitudes towards seeking professional help, including psychiatric medication, and was characterized by more shame, less perceived knowledge, higher satisfaction with their mental health, younger age, male gender and lower education. Among participants with high symptom levels (n = 855), a third subgroup was reluctant to seek help in their private environment and characterized by high symptoms as well as low satisfaction with their mental health.Conclusions.Shame as an emotional proxy of self-stigma as well as poor subjective mental health literacy may be independent barriers to help-seeking. Interventions to increase mental health service use could focus on both variables and on those individuals with more negative views about professional help, in the general public as well as among people with a current mental illness.

scholarly journals Individuals with currently untreated mental illness: causal beliefs and readiness to seek help

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (04) ◽  
pp. 446-457 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Stolzenburg ◽  
S. Freitag ◽  
S. Evans-Lacko ◽  
S. Speerforck ◽  
S. Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Mental Health Treatment ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Causal Beliefs ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Health Treatment ◽  
Causal Explanations ◽  
Perceived Need

Aims.Many people with mental illness do not seek professional help. Beliefs about the causes of their current health problem seem relevant for initiating treatment. Our aim was to find out to what extent the perceived causes of current untreated mental health problems determine whether a person considers herself/himself as having a mental illness, perceives need for professional help and plans to seek help in the near future.Methods.In a cross-sectional study, we examined 207 untreated persons with a depressive syndrome, all fulfilling criteria for a current mental illness as confirmed with a structured diagnostic interview (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview). The sample was recruited in the community using adverts, flyers and social media. We elicited causal explanations for the present problem, depression literacy, self-identification as having a mental illness, perceived need for professional help, help-seeking intentions, severity of depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire – Depression), and whether respondents had previously sought mental healthcare.Results.Most participants fulfilled diagnostic criteria for a mood disorder (n = 181, 87.4%) and/or neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders (n = 120, 58.0%) according to the ICD-10. N = 94 (45.4%) participants had never received mental health treatment previously. Exploratory factor analysis of a list of 25 different causal explanations resulted in five factors: biomedical causes, person-related causes, childhood trauma, current stress and unhealthy behaviour. Attributing the present problem to biomedical causes, person-related causes, childhood trauma and stress were all associated with stronger self-identification as having a mental illness. In persons who had never received mental health treatment previously, attribution to biomedical causes was related to greater perceived need and stronger help-seeking intentions. In those with treatment experience, lower attribution to person-related causes and stress were related to greater perceived need for professional help.Conclusions.While several causal explanations are associated with self-identification as having a mental illness, only biomedical attributions seem to be related to increase perceived need and help-seeking intentions, especially in individuals with no treatment experiences. Longitudinal studies investigating causal beliefs and help-seeking are needed to find out how causal attributions guide help-seeking behaviour. From this study it seems possible that portraying professional mental health treatment as not being restricted to biomedical problems would contribute to closing the treatment gap for mental disorders.

Teaching Abnormal Psychology to Improve Attitudes Toward Mental Illness and Help-seeking

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Kendra ◽  
Lauren B. Cattaneo ◽  
Jonathan J. Mohr
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Abnormal Psychology ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Help Seeking Attitudes ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Attitudes Toward Mental Illness ◽  
Over Time

Abnormal psychology instructors often use traditional and personal methods to educate students about and improve student attitudes toward mental illness and professional help-seeking. Data from abnormal psychology students ( N = 190) were used to determine if and how students’ attitudes toward mental illness and professional help-seeking attitudes change over time. The study also examined whether stigma-related variables were influenced by student presentations about personal experiences with mental illness. With few exceptions, stigma-related variables did not change over time or in relation to student presentations. Implications for research and teaching to improve attitudes toward mental illness and professional help-seeking are discussed.

scholarly journals Causal beliefs of mental illness and its impact on help-seeking attitudes: a cross-sectional study among university students in Singapore

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e035818
Author(s):  
Gregory Tee Hng Tan ◽  
Shazana Shahwan ◽  
Chong Ming Janrius Goh ◽  
Wei Jie Ong ◽  
Ellaisha Samari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
University Students ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Considerable Proportion ◽  
Causal Beliefs ◽  
Professional Help ◽  
Help Seeking Attitudes ◽  
Beliefs About Mental Illness

ObjectivesA considerable proportion of those who suffer from mental illnesses in Singapore do not seek any form of professional help. The reluctance to seek professional help could be due to misconceptions about the causes of mental illnesses. Research has shown that help-seeking attitudes can predict actual service use. As young adults are most at risk of developing mental illnesses, this study aims to elucidate the impact of causal beliefs about mental illness on help-seeking attitudes among university students in Singapore.DesignPrior to attending an anti-stigma intervention, data on the Causal Beliefs about Mental Illness, Inventory of Attitudes towards Seeking Mental Health services and questions pertaining to sociodemographic background were collected from participants using a self-administered questionnaire. Multiple linear regressions were performed to examine the relationship between causal beliefs and help-seeking, as well as their sociodemographic correlates.SettingsA university in Singapore.Participants390 students who were studying in a University in Singapore.ResultsYounger age was associated with higher scores on psychosocial attribution, while prior social contact with individuals with mental illness was significantly associated with lower scores on personality attribution. With regard to help-seeking attitudes; being a male and personality attribution were significantly associated with lower scores on ‘Psychological Openness’ and ‘Indifference to Stigma’, while psychosocial attribution was significantly associated with higher scores on ‘Help-seeking Propensity’. Having prior social contact also predicted higher ‘Psychological Openness’, while being in Year 2 and 3 predicted lower scores on ’Indifference to Stigma’.ConclusionFindings from this study suggest that help-seeking attitudes might be influenced by causal beliefs, with personality attribution being the most impairing. Hence, to reduce the wide treatment gap in Singapore, anti-stigma interventions targeting young people could focus on addressing beliefs that attribute mental illness to the personality of the individual.

scholarly journals Association between mental health-related stigma and active help-seeking: Systematic review and meta-analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 210 (4) ◽  
pp. 261-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Schnyder ◽  
Radoslaw Panczak ◽  
Nicola Groth ◽  
Frauke Schultze-Lutter
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Public Stigma ◽  
Related Stigma ◽  
Personal Attitudes ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundMental disorders create high individual and societal costs and burden, partly because help-seeking is often delayed or completely avoided. Stigma related to mental disorders or mental health services is regarded as a main reason for insufficient help-seeking.AimsTo estimate the impact of four stigma types (help-seeking attitudes and personal, self and perceived public stigma) on active help-seeking in the general population.MethodA systematic review of three electronic databases was followed by random effect meta-analyses according to the stigma types.ResultsTwenty-seven studies fulfilled eligibility criteria. Participants' own negative attitudes towards mental health help-seeking (OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.73–0.88) and their stigmatising attitudes towards people with a mental illness (OR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.69–0.98) were associated with less active help-seeking. Self-stigma showed insignificant association (OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.76–1.03), whereas perceived public stigma was not associated.ConclusionsPersonal attitudes towards mental illness or help-seeking are associated with active help-seeking for mental problems. Campaigns promoting help-seeking and fighting mental illness-related stigma should target these personal attitudes rather than broad public opinion.

Recall of News Stories About Mental Illness by Australian Youth: Associations with Help-Seeking Attitudes and Stigma

2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
pp. 866-872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy J. Morgan ◽  
Anthony F. Jorm
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
News Story ◽  
Help Seeking Attitudes ◽  
News Stories ◽  
People With Mental Illness ◽  
Willingness To Seek Help

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate what news stories about mental illness are recalled by Australian youth and whether these are associated with stigma and help-seeking beliefs. Method: A random sample of 3746 Australian youth aged 12–25 years were interviewed about mental health literacy in 2006. As part of the interview, they were asked whether they could recall any news stories about mental health problems during the past 12 months. Stigma was assessed, as well as willingness to seek help for a mental illness described in a vignette. Common news story themes were entered as predictors of stigma components and willingness to seek help in a series of logistic regressions. Results: Only a minority of youth could recall a news story about mental illness. The most common stories recalled were those involving crime or violence; mental health system failures; or disclosures of mental illness by prominent individuals. Recall of a disclosure by a prominent individual was associated with beliefs that people with mental illness are sick rather than weak, while recall of a story involving crime or violence was associated with greater reluctance to tell anyone about a mental health problem. There were no types of stories that predicted willingness to seek help. Conclusions: There is some evidence that recall of positive or negative news stories is associated with specific components of stigma. Overall, however, recall of news stories about mental illness added little explanatory power to differences in stigma or help-seeking intentions.

scholarly journals A Structural Equation Modeling of Mental Health Literacy in Healthcare Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13264
Author(s):  
Chia-Min Lu ◽  
Yin-Ju Lien ◽  
Hsing-Jung Chao ◽  
Hui-Shin Lin ◽  
I-Chuan Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Mental Health Literacy ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Help Seeking Attitudes ◽  
Healthcare Students

Background: There is a high prevalence of mental illness among healthcare students, and most students with mental health problems are reluctant to seek help from mental health professionals. Help-seeking is a component of mental health literacy (MHL). Although MHL is conceptualized as multi-dimensional, a theory-based multi-construct of MHL is still lacking. We aimed to build a theory-based multi-construct of MHL to explore the pathways of help-seeking. Methods: The data were obtained from a survey on MHL among healthcare students in 2018 (n = 1294). The Mental Health Literacy Scale for Healthcare Students was used to measure the maintenance of positive mental health, recognition of mental illness, mental illness stigma attitudes, help-seeking efficacy, and help-seeking attitudes. Descriptive analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted. Results: The findings of the SEM model indicated recognition of mental illness had a positive direct effect on both help-seeking efficacy and maintenance of positive mental health. Additionally, help-seeking efficacy fully mediated the relationship between recognition of mental illness and help-seeking attitudes. Conclusions: Help-seeking efficacy plays a significant role in healthcare students’ willingness to seek professional help when mental health care is needed. Accordingly, improving help-seeking efficacy strategies would increase the use of mental health services and contribute to the prevention of mental health problems.

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