Who goes where: sex-role differences in psychological and medical help seeking

Investigated medical and psychological help-seeking attitudes and behaviors as a function of liberal-conservative attitudes toward women. Subjects participated in a structured interview concerning their attitudes toward and experiences with physicians and psychotherapists, and completed the Attitudes toward Women Scale. Compared to conservatives, liberals readily seek mental health services, stay in psychotherapy longer, and have relatively negative attitudes toward physicians in general. Conservatives endorse positive attitudes toward seeking psychological help but are less likely to visit a psychotherapist for psychological problems and more likely to have a physician available to consult about medical problems. The study suggests differential help-seeking tendencies among liberals and conservatives for medical and psychological problems, and affirms the utility of the Attitudes toward Women Scale in predicting such tendencies.