From attitude to intent to action: Predictors of psychological help-seeking behavior among clinically distressed adults

Abstract

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW Efficacy of Psychotherapy CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW The number of individuals living with or at risk for developing a mental illness is staggering. Approximately one out of every four individuals experiences mental illness in a given year (Clement et al., 2015). Of those, approximately half are diagnosed with two or more disorders. In a recent study conducted by The World Health Organization (WHO), mental illness and suicide accounted for over fifteen percent of the years of life lost to mortality and to time lost to ill health in the United States. This is more than the disease burden caused by all cancers combined (WHO, 2004). In line with this, Demyttenaere and colleagues (2004) studied the prevalence, severity and treatment of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) mental disorders in 14 countries (6 less developed, 8 developed) in the WHO's World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative. Researchers conducted face-to-face household surveys of 60,463 community adults from 2001 to 2003 in 14 countries in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. Within the United States, of the individuals surveyed, 18.2% met criteria for anxiety disorders, 9.6% mood disorders, 6.8 impulse control disorders, 3.8% for substance use and 26.4 for any disorder. Of those who met criteria, 52.3% of those with an illness categorized as serious received health care treatment, 34.1% with moderate categorization received treatment and 22.5% with a mild disorder received treatment. Serious cases included serious lethal suicide attempts within the past 12 months, work limitations due to mental illness or substance disorders, symptoms of psychosis, bipolar disorders, substance dependence that impacted daily functioning, serious repeated violence due to problems with impulse control, and mental illness that resulted in 30 or more days out of life roles (Demyttenaere, Bruffaerts,

Seeking help despite the stigma: Experiential avoidance as a moderated mediator.

“…This is consistent with theory of planned behavior (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980), which posits that intentions ultimately predict behavior, and with help-seeking research that commonly uses intentions as an outcome, particularly when relationships are examined cross-sectionally (e.g., Chen, Romero, & Karver, 2016; Demyan & Anderson, 2012; Garriott, Raque-Bogdan, Yalango, Ziemer, & Utley, 2017; Lannin et al, 2015; Shechtman et al, 2018). The intentions measure we used has predicted help-seeking behavior among distressed community adults 2 weeks (Bitman-Heinrichs, 2017) and 3 months (Hammer & Spiker, 2018) later, but the predictive validity has not been examined with a general college sample. We recommend that future researchers assess the direct impact of emotional avoidance on help-seeking behavior.…”

“…Participants rate their likelihood of seeking help if they were experiencing each problem on a 4-point scale from 1 ( very unlikely ) to 4 ( very likely ). Demonstrating predictive evidence of validity, PIC scores have been positively linked to seeking help seeking among distressed community adults 2 weeks (Bitman-Heinrichs, 2017) and 3 months (Hammer & Spiker, 2018) later. This subscale has demonstrated internal consistency in previous undergraduate student samples (α = .90; Lannin et al, 2015), similar to the case in the current study (α = .89).…”

“…College students also consistently demonstrate an inverse link between self-stigma and help-seeking intentions (Topkaya, Vogel, & Brenner, 2017; Tucker et al, 2013; Vogel et al, 2007). Intentions is an important outcome in help-seeking research; the theory of planned behavior indicates that intention is the direct antecedent to behavior (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980), and intentions have predicted actual help seeking 2 weeks (Bitman-Heinrichs, 2017) and 3 months (Hammer & Spiker, 2018) later. Consistent with the internalized stigma model, self-stigma is more proximally linked than is public stigma to lower intentions to seek help, lower likelihood of seeking online mental health information, and decreased likelihood of attending subsequent therapy sessions (e.g., Lannin et al, 2016; Manos, Rüsch, Kanter, & Clifford, 2009; Shechtman, Alim, Brenner, & Vogel, 2018; Vogel et al, 2007; Wade, Post, Cornish, Vogel, & Tucker, 2011).…”

Influences on adolescent help-seeking for mental health problems

“…Help-seeking for mental health problems during adolescence, when a majority of associated disorders emerge, has the capacity to generate better outcomes than intervention at any other time in the lifespan (Access Economics, 2009;Catania et al, 2011;Littlefield, 2008;ReachOut Australia & Mission Australia, 2018). Early intervention is the key to achieving successful mental health outcomes, reducing suicide rates and reducing the burden of mental disorders (Access Economics, 2009;Catania et al, 2011;Littlefield, 2008;ReachOut Australia & Mission Australia, 2018).…”

Perceived Stigmatization, Sociodemographic Factors, and Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Psychiatric Outpatients Attending a Psychiatric Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria

“…The mental health help-seeking behaviors of psychiatric outpatients remain restricted despite that related studies have found factors such as willingness to seek professional help for a serious illness, feeling comfortable talking about personal problems with professionals, encouragement and pressure to seek help by family or friends, mental health literacy, self-concept, and employment status, as factors predicting mental health help-seeking behaviors among psychiatric outpatients (Mojtabai, et al 2016;Bitman-Heinrichs, 2017;Wigand, et al 2019;Egwuonwu, et al 2019). These submissions from related studies, therefore, creates a paucity of information on the predictive roles of perceived stigmatization and sociodemographic factors on mental health help-seeking behaviors among the population of interest.…”