Mental Health Help-Seeking Attitudes in Kermanshah Older Adults

Abstract

Background: Mental health help-seeking is the initial step in evaluating one's mental state, receiving an accurate diagnosis and professional intervention for mental health problems. Objectives: The current study aimed to determine the mental health help-seeking attitudes of older adults in Kermanshah. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional research study was conducted in 2022 among 538 individuals aged 60 and above who were beneficiaries of the pension funds in Kermanshah, Iran. The samples were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. Data were collected through interviews with older adults using a standardized questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16. Results: The mean age of respondents was 66.01 ± 4.09, ranging from 60 to 75 years. About 39% (210 people) of older adults had positive mental health help-seeking attitudes, and 61% (328 people) had negative mental health help-seeking attitudes. The positive mental health help-seeking attitudes were higher in older adults with higher educational levels (P < 0.001) and better economic status (P = 0.029). Conclusions: The majority of the older adults had a negative attitude towards mental health help-seeking, highlighting the importance of interventions to improve elderly attitudes toward mental health help-seeking.