Effectiveness of interventions to promote help-seeking for mental health problems: systematic review and meta-analysis

Xu, Ziyan; Huang, Fangfang; Kösters, Markus; Staiger, Tobias; Becker, Thomas; Thornicroft, Graham; Rüsch, Nicolas

doi:10.1017/s0033291718001265

Cited by 127 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Alleviating this problem will require expansion of treatment resources and outreach efforts to attract individuals with mental disorders into treatment. Community education to increase mental health literacy and reduce stigma and screening programs in primary care are commonly used strategies shown to be effective in reducing barriers to treatment of mental disorders (Xu et al, 2018). But it is important to make sure that quality of care is adequate before such programs are initiated.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Twelve‐month treatment of mental disorders in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey

Alhabeeb

Altwaijri

Al‐Subaie

et al. 2020

Int J Methods Psych Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives To estimate treatment rates of 12‐month mental disorders in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey (SNMHS). Methods The SNMHS is a face‐to‐face community epidemiological survey in a nationally representative household sample of citizens ages 15–65 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) (n = 4,004). The World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) was used to produce estimates of 12‐month prevalence and treatment of common DSM‐IV mental disorders. Results About one eighth (13.7%) of respondents with a 12‐month DSM‐IV/CIDI disorder received 12‐month treatment. The highest proportion of treatment occurred in the general medical sector (53.0%). Close to half (45.2%) of patients received treatment rated at least minimally adequate using standard treatment guidelines. Although serious disorders were significantly more likely to be treated (20.2%) than mild or moderate disorders (8.5–10.7%), no association was found between disorder severity and probability of receiving adequate treatment. Sociodemographic correlates were for the most part nonsignificant. Conclusions A high level of unmet need for treatment of mental disorders exists in KSA. Further analyses of the SNMHS data might provide insights into modifiable barriers to treatment and policy options to address the problem of unmet need for treatment.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Twelve‐month treatment of mental disorders in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey

Alhabeeb

Altwaijri

Al‐Subaie

et al. 2020

Int J Methods Psych Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Since our findings emphasise the need to foster cancer patients’ positive attitudes towards help‐seeking, possible approaches need to be discussed. A recent meta‐analysis looked at 23 studies that aimed to promote seeking professional help for mental health problems by changing attitudes towards help‐seeking (Xu et al, ). The analysis yielded a small and statistically significant effect on attitudes towards formal help‐seeking at post‐intervention, which was stable until up to 5 months, but not longer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These findings were in complete agreement with previous stud- Since our findings emphasise the need to foster cancer patients' positive attitudes towards help-seeking, possible approaches need to be discussed. A recent meta-analysis looked at 23 studies that aimed to promote seeking professional help for mental health problems by changing attitudes towards help-seeking (Xu et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussion and Con Clus I On Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Cancer patient utilisation of psychological care in Germany: The role of attitudes towards seeking help

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective Even if significantly distressed, many patients with cancer do not seek psychological help. There is growing evidence that attitudes are central barriers for help‐seeking, and instruments to assess cancer patients’ attitudes towards help‐seeking are urgently needed. This study aimed to evaluate the German Attitudes towards Seeking Help after Cancer Scale (ASHCa‐G) and investigated the relationship between patients’ attitudes and psychological care utilisation. Methods The ASHCa‐G was presented to 270 patients with cancer (age 63.0 ± 12.7 years, 44.8% women). Item analyses, principal component analysis and associations with age, social support, help‐seeking intention and psychological care utilisation were calculated. A hierarchical logistic regression was performed to ascertain the leading role of attitudes in explaining psychological care utilisation. Results Principal component analysis supported a two‐component solution, which showed good internal consistency for the positive attitudes (α = 0.80) and negative attitudes (α = 0.75) subscales. The associations with age, distress and help‐seeking intention confirmed the validity of the ASHCa‐G. Positive attitudes explained most variance of cancer patients’ current psychological care utilisation. Conclusion The ASHCa‐G seems to be a reliable and valid questionnaire for assessing attitudes towards seeking psychological help among patients with cancer. Clinical practice might profit from identifying attitudinal barriers that hinder patients with cancer from seeking psychological help.

show abstract

“…First, only one author performed the data extraction and critical appraisal of papers therefore the data analysis is at risk of some subjectivity. Second, there is an increasing debate regarding the age that adolescence comprises, with some suggesting the age should be extended to 10 to 24 years old [17]. However, we decided to follow the definition of adolescent stablish by international organisation including the OMS and UNICEF.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What are the barriers, facilitators and interventions targeting help-seeking behaviours for common mental health problems in adolescents? A systematic review

Aguirre

Silva

Billings

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Increasing rates of mental health problems among adolescents are of concern. Teens who are most in need of mental health attention are reluctant to seek help. A better understanding of the help-seeking in this population is needed to overcome this gap. Methods: Five databases were searched to identify the principal barriers, facilitators and interventions targeting help-seeking for common mental health problems in adolescents aged 10-19 years. The search was performed in June 2018 and updated in March 2019. Two independent screening processes were made using the eligibility criteria. Quality assessment of each study was performed and findings summarised using a narrative synthesis. Results: 90 studies meet the inclusion criteria for this review for barrier and facilitators (n=54) and interventions (n=36). Stigma and negative beliefs towards mental health services and professionals were the most cited barriers. Facilitators included previous positive experience with health services and mental health literacy. Most interventions were based on psychoeducation, which focused on general mental health knowledge, suicide and self-harm, stigma and depression. Other types of interventions included the use of multimedia and online tools, peer training and outreach initiatives. Overall, the quality of studies was low to medium and there was no general agreement regarding help-seeking definition and measurements. Conclusion: Most of interventions took place in an educational setting however, it is important to consider adolescents outside the educational system. Encouraging help-seeking should come with the increased availability of mental health support for all adolescents in need, but this is still a major challenge for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. There is also a need to develop shared definitions, theoretical frameworks and higher methodological standards in research regarding help-seeking behaviours in adolescents. This will allow more consistency and generalisability of findings, improving the development of help-seeking interventions and ensuring timely access to mental health treatments.

show abstract

Effectiveness of interventions to promote help-seeking for mental health problems: systematic review and meta-analysis

Cited by 127 publications

References 40 publications

Twelve‐month treatment of mental disorders in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey

Twelve‐month treatment of mental disorders in the Saudi National Mental Health Survey

Cancer patient utilisation of psychological care in Germany: The role of attitudes towards seeking help

What are the barriers, facilitators and interventions targeting help-seeking behaviours for common mental health problems in adolescents? A systematic review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About