Further Reduction in Help-Seeking Behaviors Amidst Additional Barriers to Mental Health Treatment in Asian Populations: A Contemporary Review

The current study examined the influence of cultural values on mental health attitudes and help-seeking behaviors in college students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Asian and Latinx college students (N = 159) completed an online survey in which they reported their adherence to cultural values and general attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking behavior. Factor analysis revealed two common factors of cultural values irrespective of ethnic background: Interdependent Orientation (IO) and Cultural Obligation (CO). Regardless of ethnicity, the more students endorsed IO values, the less likely they were to perceive a need for mental health treatment. IO value adherence also predicted more negative attitudes towards mental health. CO values were not predictive of perceived need or help-seeking behaviors. Findings highlight the importance of assessing certain cultural values independently from ethnicity and considering how the multidimensionality of culture may help explain shared mental health behaviors across ethnic group membership.

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Help-Seeking Stigma and Mental Health Treatment Seeking Among Young Adult Veterans

Military Behavioral Health ◽

10.1080/21635781.2015.1055866 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 230-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Magdalena Kulesza ◽

Eric R. Pedersen ◽

Patrick W. Corrigan ◽

Grant N. Marshall

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young Adult ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Treatment Seeking ◽

Health Treatment

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Mental health of young Brazilians: Barriers to professional help-seeking

Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas) ◽

10.1590/1982-02752016000200017 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 355-365 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Cláudia Cristina FUKUDA ◽

Maria Aparecida PENSO ◽

Deise Matos do AMPARO ◽

Bruno Coimbras de ALMEIDA ◽

Camila de Aquino MORAIS

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Young People ◽

Private School ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Structural Barriers ◽

Professional Help ◽

Health Treatment ◽

Major Barrier ◽

Positive Effects

The present study investigated the perception of young Brazilians of professional help and barriers to seeking mental health services. A total of the 1,030 questionnaires were administered to young people aged 8-21 years of both genders attending public and private school or who had received or were receiving treatement at mental health facilities in three Brazilian cities. The data were evaluated using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and comparison between means. The results showed fear of stigmatization as a major barrier to seeking mental health treatment, exerting greater impact than that of structural barriers. Regional differences influenced their perception of the treatment. Having undergone previous mental health treatment was found to be related to a greater perception of the positive effects of the treatment and the structural barriers to accessing care services. It was found that the onset of mental disorders usually occurs during early adolescence. School-related issues, anxiety, fear, and depression were the most common reasons for mental health treatment seeking among young people.

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

Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences ◽

10.1017/s2045796017000828 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (04) ◽

pp. 446-457 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

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.

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M241. MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT-SEEKING IN INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGH LEVELS OF PSYCHOSIS-LIKE EXPERIENCES: IMPACT OF TRAUMA AND RACE

Schizophrenia Bulletin ◽

10.1093/schbul/sbaa030.553 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 46 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S227-S228

Author(s):

Emily Petti ◽

Pamela Rakhshan Rouhakhtar ◽

Mallory J Klaunig ◽

Miranda Bridgwater ◽

Caroline Roemer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Service ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Health Service Utilization ◽

Psychiatric Treatment ◽

Treatment Seeking ◽

Mental Health Service Utilization ◽

Health Treatment ◽

Future Treatment

Abstract Background Despite increases in psychiatric treatment-seeking in the U.S., sociodemographic and racial inequalities in mental health service utilization and quality of care remain, particularly among Black/African-American populations. Factors including trauma and racial discrimination impact psychosis spectrum symptom severity, but little is known about how these factors uniquely impact treatment-seeking behaviors and attitudes among youth with psychosis-like experiences (PEs). The current study examined the associations between trauma, discrimination, self-reported PEs, race, and treatment-seeking among a racially diverse group of college-aged youth endorsing high levels of PEs. Methods Participants were college students between 18 - 25 years of age (N = 177). The sample included individuals with self-reported race of Asian, Black, or White who endorsed PEs at a “high-risk” cutoff level as per the Prime Screen or Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ), commonly used measures of PEs. Analyses included the PQ total score to measure PEs; trauma history was assessed with the Life Events Checklist (total number of lifetime traumatic experiences endorsed); discrimination was measured by the 9-item situation section of the Experiences of Discrimination questionnaire. Participants self-reported mental health service utilization in the past 2 months (current), before 3 months ago (past), as well as how strongly they were considering seeking mental health care (future). Binary logistic regressions were used to analyze the associations between past and current help-seeking and race, trauma, discrimination, and PEs. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the associations between future treatment-seeking and race, PEs, trauma, and discrimination. Results Participants with higher PQ scores were more likely to endorse past (b = 0.04, SE = 0.15, χ2[1] = 8.03, p < .01, OR = 1.04), current (b = 0.05, SE =0.02, χ2[1] = 8.99, p < .01, OR = 1.05), and future treatment (b = 0.04, t(1) = 3.32, p < .01, f2 = 0.07). Asian and Black participants were significantly less likely than their White peers to have received past treatment (bAsian = -1.94, SEAsian = 0.47, χ2Asian[1] = 17.15, pAsian < .001, ORAsian = 0.14; bBlack = -1.53, SEBlack = 0.48, χ2Black[1] = 10.04, pBlack < .01, ORBlack = 0.22), current treatment (bAsian = -1.56, SEAsian = 0.51, χ2Asian[1] = 9.41, pAsian < .01, ORAsian = 0.21; bBlack = -1.06, SEBlack = 0.52, χ2Black[1] = 4.20, pBlack < .05, ORBlack = 0.35), and to be considering future treatment (bAsian = -0.51, tAsian (1) = -1.94, pAsian = .06, f2Asian = 0.02; bBlack = -0.58, tBlack (1) = -2.02, pBlack < .05, f2Black = 0.03). Experiences of trauma significantly predicted past treatment (b = 0.30 SE = 0.12, χ2[1] = 6.44, p < .05, OR = 1.35), but not current or future treatment (ps > .05). Experiences of discrimination did not significantly predict self-reported treatment variables across all analyses (all ps > .05). Discussion The current study examined the associations between race, trauma, PEs, discrimination, and psychiatric treatment-seeking in college students with high levels of psychosis-like experiences. Self-reported PE scores and race were significantly associated with all treatment-seeking variables, while experiences of discrimination were not significantly associated with help-seeking. Results suggest race-related disparities in help-seeking patterns among college-educated youth and young adults. These findings have implications for engaging racial and ethnic minorities in mental health treatment who are experiencing psychosis-like symptoms to alleviate these symptoms and any associated functional impairments or distress.

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Perceived Need for Mental Health Treatment in a Nationally Representative Canadian Sample

The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/070674370505001011 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 50 (10) ◽

pp. 643-651 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Jitender Sareen ◽

Brian J Cox ◽

Tracie O Afifi ◽

Ian Clara ◽

Bo Nancy Yu

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Services ◽

Health Services ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Social Supports ◽

Health Treatment ◽

Perceived Need ◽

The Past ◽

Dsm Iv

Objective: The optimal method of determining how many people in the general population need help for emotional problems remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the prevalence and correlates of self-perceived need for mental health services (that is, help seeking and perceived need) in a large, population-based sample. Methods: Data came from the Canadian Community Health Survey 1.2 ( n = 36 816, respondent age 15 years and over, and response rate 77%). Respondents were asked whether they had sought help in the past year from any professional for emotional problems and whether they felt they needed help for emotional symptoms but had not sought treatment. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to make DSM-IV mental disorder diagnoses. Results: The past-year prevalences of help seeking and perceived need were 8.7% and 2.9%, respectively. After adjusting for the presence of DSM-IV disorders assessed in the survey, sociodemographic factors, illness severity, social supports, and the presence of physical health conditions were associated with help seeking and perceived need. Independent of DSM diagnoses, sociodemographics, and social supports, perceived need and help seeking were associated with increased levels of distress, disability, and suicidal ideation and attempts. Conclusions: This study illustrates that, in addition to the presence of a DSM diagnosis, the respondent's self-perceived need for mental health treatment is important in the assessment of need for mental health services in the community.

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Broadcasting War Trauma: An Exploratory Netnography of Veterans’ YouTube Vlogs

Qualitative Health Research ◽

10.1177/1049732318797623 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 357-370 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Donna L. Schuman ◽

Karen A. Lawrence ◽

Natalie Pope

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Social Support ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Combat Veterans ◽

War Trauma ◽

Self Management ◽

Health Treatment ◽

Treatment Support ◽

Motivation Loss

This exploratory netnographic study is among the first to investigate military video blogs (milvlogs) posted by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who self-published stories on military-related trauma to YouTube. Studies have shown that self-published milvlogs provide benefits such as education, social support, and self-management of chronic physical and psychological illness. The aim of this study was to explore combat veterans’ milvlogs and to determine themes that emerged across the videos. We transcribed and analyzed content from 17 milvlogs. Our analysis yielded seven themes: motivation, loss, managing symptoms, help-seeking, guilt and shame, suicide, and connecting to other veterans. We concluded that veterans were initially drawn to vlogging to connect to others. Vlogging also served as a medium for combat veterans to tell their stories, position these stories against others’ experiences, and engage in outreach and advocacy. Finally, milvlogs may provide an easily accessible resource for developing preventive and/or mental health treatment/support links.

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Shared Cultural Values Influence Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors in Asian and Latinx College Students

Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities ◽

10.1007/s40615-021-01073-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

E. Zhou ◽

Y. Kyeong ◽

C. S. Cheung ◽

K. J. Michalska

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

College Students ◽

Cultural Values ◽

Mental Health Treatment ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Online Survey ◽

Racial Groups ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Help Seeking Behaviors ◽

Ethnic Group Membership

AbstractThe current study sought to understand the influence of cultural values on mental health attitudes and help-seeking behaviors in college students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Asian and Latinx college students (N = 159) completed an online survey in which they reported on their adherence to cultural values as measured by ethnicity-specific cultural values and general attitudes towards mental health. Factor analysis revealed two common factors of cultural values irrespective of ethnicity: Interdependent Orientation (IO) and Cultural Obligation (CO). Regardless of ethnicity, the more students endorsed IO values, the less likely they were to perceive a need for mental health treatment. IO value adherence was also predictive of more negative attitudes towards mental health. CO values were not predictive of perceived need or help-seeking behaviors. Findings highlight the importance of understanding shared cultural values across ethnic-racial groups and considering how the multidimensionality of culture may help explain shared mental health behaviors crossing lines of ethnic group membership.

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