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Breaking down barriers: exploring mental health beliefs and help seeking in older adults
Peta Prindiville1, Sunil Bhar1, Ilona McNeill1
1Department of Psychological Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Objectives:
Despite the high prevalence of mental health problems in older adults, help seeking by this population is low. Although several barriers to help seeking have already been identified in this population, little is known about the extent to which beliefs related to the Common Sense Model of Self-Regulation predict help seeking in this population. This study examined the extent to which beliefs predicted intentions and behaviour in relation to seeking formal and informal help after controlling for several known barriers (stigma, clinical, and systemic barriers). A secondary objective was to explore which beliefs about symptom characteristics correlated with formal help seeking.
Method:
390 community dwelling older adults aged 60 years and older were surveyed on their beliefs, barriers to help seeking, and help seeking intentions and behaviour for formal and informal sources of help.
Results:
Beliefs predicted both formal and informal help seeking after controlling for other barriers. Beliefs also predicted intentions to seek formal but not informal sources of help. Specific beliefs around treatment effectiveness were important in encouraging help seeking intentions and behaviour related to formal sources of help.
Conclusions:
Help seeking interventions that target unhelpful beliefs, especially around treatment effectiveness may improve uptake of help in older adults experiencing mental health concerns.
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