Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2025

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Hyperscanning Study in Psychological Counseling
Published on: January 17, 2025
Help-seeking preferences in Australian mental health website visitors: A latent profile analysis
Christopher Rainbow1, Peter A Baldwin2, Warwick Hosking3
1Beyond Blue, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Objective:
Psychological distress and suicide rates are climbing in Australia despite substantial mental health programme investment in recent decades. Understanding where individuals prefer to seek support in the event of a personal or emotional crisis may help target mental health resources to where they are most needed. This study aimed to explore individual differences in help-seeking preferences that may be leveraged for early intervention and mental health service design.
Method:
Latent profile analysis was used to explore the help-seeking preferences of 1561 Australian online help-seekers who elected to complete a psychological distress screening on a popular mental health website, Beyond Blue.
Results:
Four latent profiles of help-seeker emerged that illustrate distinct preference channels for support: help-negaters, professional help-seekers, family help-seekers and help-affirmatives. Help-negaters were the least likely to consider seeking help from any source, recorded the highest levels of psychological distress and suicidal ideation, and were more likely to be younger. Help-affirmatives were the most likely to seek help from any source, particularly from religious leaders, and were more likely to speak a language other than English at home.
Conclusion:
Many individuals experiencing mental health concerns will prefer to seek support from family or community contacts rather than professionals, and some will not seek help at all. Diversity in help-seeking preferences should be considered when designing mental health services, outreach and psychoeducation materials.
Related Concept Videos
Surveys
Humanistic Psychology
This approach...
Self-Report Tests of Personality
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Cattell's 16 Personality Factors
In contrast, source traits are the...
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping

