Correlates of Professional Help-Seeking Attitudes in Persons With Schizophrenia in Taiwan

In Taiwan, engagement in professional help-seeking among persons living with schizophrenia remains limited despite increasing demands on mental healthcare systems. Clarifying the factors that shape professional help-seeking attitudes is essential for promoting recovery-oriented care. This study examined the correlates of professional help-seeking attitudes in persons with schizophrenia in Taiwan.

A cross-sectional correlational study.

A total of 144 persons receiving psychiatric rehabilitation care at three hospitals in Taiwan were recruited. Data were collected using structured self-report measures assessing sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, schizophrenia literacy, internalized stigma, and professional help-seeking attitudes. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted.

Participants generally reported unfavorable attitudes toward professional help-seeking. More favorable attitudes were associated with higher educational attainment, shorter illness duration, greater schizophrenia literacy, and lower internalized stigma. Schizophrenia literacy and internalized stigma showed the most robust relationships with professional help-seeking attitudes.

Within Taiwanese mental healthcare settings, schizophrenia literacy and internalized stigma appear to be central to attitudes toward professional help-seeking among persons living with schizophrenia.

Routine assessment of schizophrenia literacy and internalized stigma, together with culturally sensitive and recovery-oriented nursing interventions, may enhance treatment engagement among persons living with schizophrenia. The findings may also inform mental health nursing practice in other cultural and healthcare contexts where limited schizophrenia literacy, stigma, and long-term inpatient care pose barriers to recovery-oriented care delivery.