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Attitudes towards mental health services in Hispanic older adults: the role of misconceptions and personal beliefs
- Authors:
- JANG Yuri, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 47(2), April 2011, pp.164-170.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Focusing on misconceptions and personal beliefs associated with depression, this study explored predictors of attitudes toward mental health services in a sample of 297 Hispanic older adults living in public housing in the USA. Results from a hierarchical regression analysis showed that negative attitudes towards mental health services were predicted by advanced age, belief that having depression would make family members disappointed, and belief that counselling brings too many bad feelings such as anger and sadness. Findings suggest that interventions designed to promote positive attitudes toward mental health services of older Hispanics should address misconceptions and personal beliefs.
Attitudes towards seeking mental health services among older adults: personal and contextual correlates
- Authors:
- KESSLER Eva-Marie, AGINES Sabrina, BOWEN Catherine E.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 19(2), 2014, pp.182-191.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study investigates a wide range of contextual (e.g. physical access, residence) and personal (e.g. perceived social support, life satisfaction, openness to experience) predictors of attitudes towards seeking mental health services (ATSMHS) in a sample of 156 older community-dwelling adults in Germany. It was predicted that representations of old age as well as perceptions of (younger) psychotherapists would be uniquely important for determining ATSMHS. Method: Participants completed questionnaire measures which were analysed using hierarchical linear regression analyses to identify predictors of ATSMHS. Results: In the final saturated model, female gender, urban residence, personal and vicarious experience with psychotherapy, and higher perceived social support were each associated with more positive ATSMHS. In addition, more positive representations of old age and less negative perceptions of (younger) psychotherapists explained unique variance in ATSMHS over and above the other predictors. The overall model was significant and explained 49% of the variance in ATSMHS. Conclusion: The findings can be used to inform interventions to improve older adults’ ATSMHS. Interventions that seek to improve older adults’ representations of their own ageing as well as of psychotherapists may be useful for reducing the treatment gap. (Edited publisher abstract)
Intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to mental health care among community-dwelling younger and older adults
- Authors:
- PEPIN Renee, SEGAL Daniel L., COOLIDGE Frederick L.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 13(5), September 2009, pp.769-777.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This American study examined intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to mental health care among younger (n = 76; M age = 23 years) and older adults (n = 88; M age = 71 years) using a new 56 item self-report measure, Barriers to Mental Health Services Scale (BMHSS). The BMHSS was developed to examine 10 barriers to the utilization of mental health services: help-seeking attitudes, stigma, knowledge and fear of psychotherapy, belief about inability to find a psychotherapist, belief that depressive symptoms are normal, insurance and payment concerns, ageism, concerns about psychotherapist's qualifications, physician referral, and transportation concerns. Results indicated that younger adults perceived fear of psychotherapy, belief about inability to find a psychotherapist, and insurance concerns to be greater barriers than older adults. Men perceived stigma to be a greater barrier than women whereas women perceived finding a psychotherapist to be a greater barrier than men. The rank order of the BMHSS subscales was strongly similar for younger and older adults. These results also provide further evidence that stigma about receiving mental health services is not a primary barrier among younger or older adults.
Beliefs about mental illness and willingness to seek help: a cross-sectional study
- Authors:
- SEGAL D. L., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 9(4), July 2005, pp.363-367.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Evidence indicates that older adults underutilize mental health services, but little is known empirically about the perceptions older adults have about mental illness and their attitudes about seeking professional help for psychological problems. The present study examined beliefs about mental illness and willingness to seek professional help among younger (n=96; M age=20.6 years; range=17–26 years) and older (n=79; M age=75.1 years; range=?60–95 years) persons. Participants completed the Beliefs Toward Mental Illness Scale and the Willingness to Seek Help Questionnaire. Older adults had generally similar perceptions of mental illness as younger adults except that older adults were more likely to perceive the mentally ill as being embarrassing and having poor social skills. Older adults also did not report a lower willingness to seek psychological help. Correlational analyses showed that, among older adults, increases in negative attitudes about mental illness (specifically, the view that the mentally ill have poor interpersonal skills) are associated with decreases in willingness to seek psychological services. An implication is that negative stereotypes about mental illness held by some older adults could play a role in their underutilization of mental health services. Other barriers to mental health care are also discussed.
Mental health help-seeking attitudes, utilization, and intentions among older Chinese immigrants in Canada
- Authors:
- TIEU Yvonne, KONNERT Candace A.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 18(2), 2014, pp.140-147.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study aimed to determine the extent to which demographic factors, perceived social support, and Chinese cultural beliefs predict attitudes toward mental health help seeking; second, to assess mental health utilization; and third, to assess intentions to utilize mental health services among older Chinese immigrants in Canada aged 55 and above. A total of 149 older Chinese adults (M = 73.92 years, SD = 9.99, range = 55–95 years) completed a semi-structured interview protocol in Cantonese or Mandarin. Demographic and health information were collected, and questionnaires assessing perceived social support, mental health help-seeking attitudes, and belief in Chinese culture and values were administered. Demographic and health information, perceived social support, Chinese cultural beliefs and values accounted for 21.8% of the variance in help-seeking attitudes. Descriptive data related to mental health utilization and intentions are provided. Older Chinese participants exhibited less positive attitudes that were significantly associated with Chinese cultural beliefs and values. Implications for practice with older Chinese adults are also discussed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Meeting the training needs of staff working with older people with dual diagnosis
- Authors:
- SAXTON Louise, LANCASHIRE Stuart, KIPPING Cheryl
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Dual Diagnosis, 4(1), 2011, pp.36-46.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Dual diagnosis initiatives, particularly those related to training, have largely focused on working age adults. Professionals working with older people need to identify whether dual diagnosis is present and provide effective assessment and treatment, but they often lack knowledge, skills and confidence in working with this group. This paper describes the development and preliminary evaluation of a 5-day course designed to meet the needs of staff working with older people who have a dual diagnosis. The course was designed to provide Level 1 (‘core’) and Level 2 (‘generalist’) competencies for staff working in mental health of older adults (MHOA) services. The training was intended for practitioners in a variety of clinical roles. It was taught using a range of methods including didactic presentations, small group discussions, videos, exercises, role-play, homework and clinical supervision. Evaluation of the course involved a short battery of self-report questionnaires aiming to assess changes to knowledge, confidence and attitudes which were completed prior to and on completion of training. The students' perceptions of the quality of the programme were also obtained. The evaluation indicated that significant changes were achieved in knowledge and confidence after the course. Although there were some changes in attitudes these did not reach significance.
Religion, health beliefs and the use of mental health services by the elderly
- Authors:
- NG Tze Pin, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 15(2), March 2011, pp.143-149.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Health beliefs that people have about their mental health and services influence their perception of need and use of health services. This study investigated whether elderly people of particular religious affiliations are more or less likely to seek treatment for mental illness, and whether this is related to their health beliefs. The study used data from the National Mental Survey of Elderly Singaporeans in 2004, a population-based survey with a total of 1092 participants aged 60 and above. Data were collected on reported religious affiliations, and 1-year prevalence of mental disorders from diagnostic interviews using the Geriatric Mental State schedule, self-report of treatment for mental health problems, and health beliefs about the curability of mental illness, embarrassment and stigma, ease in discussing mental problems, effectiveness and safety of treatment, and trust in professionals. The results showed that, compared to those with no religious affiliation, elderly people of all religious affiliations showed higher prevalence of mental health problems, yet reported less frequent treatment by healthcare professionals. In multivariate analyses, the adjusted odds ratio of association with seeking treatment were for Christianity, 0.12; Islam, 0.12; Buddhism/Taoism, 0.59; and Hinduism, 0.21 versus no affiliation. Various religious affiliations differ from each other and from non-religious affiliation on some negative health beliefs, but they did not adequately explain why religious affiliates were less likely to seek treatment.
Attitudes toward mental health services: age-group differences in Korean American adults
- Authors:
- JANG Yuri, CHIRIBOGA David A., OKAZAKI Sumie
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 13(1), January 2009, pp.127-134.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The present study examined the attitudes toward mental health services held by younger (aged 20-45, n = 209) and older (aged 60 and older, n = 462) groups of Korean Americans. Predisposing (age, gender, marital status and education), need (anxiety and depressive symptoms) and enabling (acculturation, health insurance coverage and personal experience and beliefs) variables were considered. In the mean-level assessment, younger and older adults were found to hold a similar level of positive attitudes toward mental health services. In the multivariate analysis, culture-influenced beliefs were shown to have a substantial contribution to the model of attitudes toward mental health services in both age groups. The belief that depression is a medical condition was found to be a common predictor of positive attitudes across the groups. In the older adult sample, more negative attitudes were observed among those who believed that depression is a sign of personal weakness and that having a mentally ill family member brings shame to the whole family. The findings show that older adults are not only more subject to cultural misconceptions and stigma related to mental disorders, but also their attitudes toward service use are negatively influenced by the cultural stigma. The findings provide important implications for interventions targeted to improve access to mental health care among minority populations. Based on the similarities and differences found between young and old, both general and age-specific strategies need to be developed in order to increase effectiveness of these programs.
Intentions to seek (preventive) psychological help among older adults: an application of the theory of planned behaviour
- Authors:
- WESTERHOF Gerben J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 12(3), May 2008, pp.317-322.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The study is carried out from the theory of planned behaviour and distinguishes attitudes (psychological openness), subjective norms (indifference to stigma), and perceived behavioural control (help-seeking propensity) in explaining behavioural intentions with regard to seeking preventive and therapeutic psychological help. One hundred and sixty seven Dutch adults between 65 and 75 years of age filled out a questionnaire measuring these concepts. Results found older adults have low intentions to seek professional help for psychological problems. Their intentions to use preventive help are somewhat higher. Older adults are rather indifferent to stigma and they perceive control, but they are less open to professional help when it comes to their own person. Regression analyses revealed that psychological openness and help-seeking propensity are related to intentions to seek preventive and therapeutic help.
Everybody's business - whole people or whole systems? Key issues for delivering mental health services to older people
- Author:
- HITCHON Gil
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Care Services Management, 1(4), July 2007, pp.327-340.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This article analyses the key elements of 'Everybody's Business', published by the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP), so as to provide a checklist of useful issues and actions to take into consideration when developing and delivering services for older people with mental health needs. Other key publications are also identified. The guidance is felt to be comprehensive expect for one key area: the aspirations of the service users and placing them in the context of family, friends and the community. The need to take into account the whole person, not just whole systems, is identified and a way of building this into the Department of Health's model is suggested.