The relationship between shame and perceived biological origins of mental illness among South Asian and white American young adults

Mental illness (MI) affects one in four people in their lifetime and a failure to seek help for MI can have grave consequences. To decrease stigma and increase help seeking, prior campaigns have promoted the biological origins of MI. Even though some research supports the efficacy of this approach, other research does not. We propose cultural differences as a partial explanation for these inconsistent results. The current study assessed ethnic differences in the relationship between perceived causes of MI, shame associated with MI and perceived family support for help seeking. White and South Asian American (SAA) undergraduate students completed an online survey (n = 177). Results indicated that SAAs were significantly more likely than whites to perceive character deficits as the cause of MI. Further, among those who had sought help for MI, ethnic differences emerged in perceptions of MI based on perceived cause. SAAs who believed that MI had biological origins perceived more shame and less family support for seeking help compared to SAAs who believed MI was due to character deficits. The converse was true for whites – those who believed that MI had biological origins perceived less shame and more family support for help seeking compared to whites who believed MI was due to character deficits. The results of the current study illuminate the role that culture plays in perceptions of MI. Further, these results have implications for interventions targeting South Asian populations and for mental health outreach in general.     

Resistance,reactance, and misinterpretation: Highlighting the challenge of persuading people with depression to seek help

Interventions that increase help‐seeking among people with depression have the potential to save lives. Several efforts have been impressively successful; however, research has also chronicled inconsistent results, with some endeavors indicating boomerang effects. The goal of the current analysis is to synthesize select findings from cognitive theorizing on depression with persuasion scholarship to explain how and why the combination of unfavorable attitudes toward help‐seeking, attitudes that are increasingly resistant to influence, psychological reactance, and cognitive errors can result in challenging responses to messages encouraging help‐seeking among people with depression. In addition, we highlight the importance of utilizing theory‐based approaches to circumvent resistance to persuasion and provide an explanation as to why the provision of immediate help‐seeking mechanisms could be a key aspect of successful intervention efforts. We also stress the importance of formative research and pilot testing, and warn against the potentially harmful error of assessing messages targeting people with depression on those without heightened levels of depressive symptomatology. Ideally, this effort will draw attention to the challenge of persuading people with depression to seek help and also motivate social psychologists to consider the ways they can use their craft to positively influence the health and well‐being of people with depression.     

Self‐Stigma of Mental Illness and Help Seeking Among School Counselors

The authors reported the findings from a correlational investigation examining the relationship between school counselors' (N = 333) self‐stigma of mental illness, help‐seeking behaviors, burnout, stress, and life satisfaction. The authors used a path analysis to test a hypothesized causal framework that self‐stigma of mental illness contributed to help‐seeking behaviors, which contributed to stress and burnout. The findings showed that the data fit the hypothesized model. The authors discuss the implications of the findings.     

寻求专业性心理帮助的预测因素研究的综述

在日常生活中,一些人在产生了自己难以解决的心理问题时,不寻求专业性心理帮助,以致使心理问题变得更加严重,这一问题已经引起了国内外不少学者的关注。他们运用各种问卷和访谈的方式,从分析求助者个人心理特点入手,并通过跨文化研究,揭示了人格特质和社会文化对心理求助的预测作用以及与心理咨询工作者有关的因素。该文概述并讨论了国内外关于此课题的研究成果,以期为我国的心理健康教育提供有价值的资料。     

Relationships Between Treatment Attitudes,Psychological Symptoms,Emotional Competence,and Help‐Seeking Intentions

The authors examined whether emotional competence (i.e., awareness, coping strategies) predicted help‐seeking intentions above and beyond previously identified factors (i.e., attitudes and perceived stigma toward professional help, psychological symptom severity) in an undergraduate sample (N = 531). Emotional awareness predicted help‐seeking intentions for personal/emotional problems and suicidal thoughts. Emotional coping strategies predicted help‐seeking intentions for suicidal thoughts and moderated the relationship between symptom severity and help‐seeking intentions for suicidal thoughts. Efforts to increase help‐seeking should address students' emotional competence.     

基于网络干预的心理健康素养提升有效性研究

研究旨在探索中国文化背景下心理健康素养干预的有效性,以及心理健康素养的提升对专业心理求助意愿、心理健康和幸福感的影响。研究采用实验组对照组前后测设计。结果表明:1.基于网络教育的干预方法能够有效提升心理健康素养,进而促进专业心理求助意愿,改善心理健康状况。但是对大学生的幸福感没有产生明显影响; 2.心理健康素养可以通过专业心理求助意愿分别影响心理健康状况和幸福感,且专业求助意愿和心理健康在心理健康素养和幸福感之间起着完全链式中介作用。总的来说,心理健康素养的有效提升不仅可以改善专业心理求助意愿,提高人们的心理健康水平,还可能增添生活幸福感。     

Mental health professionals' support of self‐help groups

Objective. Self‐help groups and other consumer‐led services are viewed as valuable additions to mental health services. This study describes professional support for self‐help groups and examines the hypothesis that professional support of self‐help is influenced by the degree to which professionally‐led groups are viewed as more helpful than self‐help groups. Method. Survey data were obtained from a representative sample of over 900 mental health professionals employed in mental health agencies in a large US State. The survey assessed beliefs, behaviours, attitudes, and intentions toward professional and self‐help groups. Results. Respondents who perceive professionally‐led groups to be significantly more helpful than self‐help groups were less inclined to support self‐help groups through referrals, help in organizing groups, or financially. Conclusion. To the extent that professional support of the self‐help movement is diminished, valuable allies in the struggle to expand the reach of mental health services are lost. It is proposed that mental health professionals should obtain additional information about the benefits of self‐help and the constructive role that self‐help groups can play in expanding the availability and continuum of beneficial mental health services. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Randomized Trial of a Mental Health Consumer-Managed Alternative to Civil Commitment for Acute Psychiatric Crisis

This experiment compared the effectiveness of an unlocked, mental health consumer-managed, crisis residential program (CRP) to a locked, inpatient psychiatric facility (LIPF) for adults civilly committed for severe psychiatric problems. Following screening and informed consent, participants (n = 393) were randomized to the CRP or the LIPF and interviewed at baseline and at 30-day, 6-month, and 1-year post admission. Outcomes were costs, level of functioning, psychiatric symptoms, self-esteem, enrichment, and service satisfaction. Treatment outcomes were compared using hierarchical linear models. Participants in the CRP experienced significantly greater improvement on interviewer-rated and self-reported psychopathology than did participants in the LIPF condition; service satisfaction was dramatically higher in the CRP condition. CRP-style facilities are a viable alternative to psychiatric hospitalization for many individuals facing civil commitment.     

Self‐Stigma,Mental Health Literacy,and Health Outcomes in Integrated Care

The authors describe research on the self‐stigma of mental illness and help seeking, mental health literacy, and health outcomes in an integrated care medical center. Results revealed that self‐stigma of mental illness and self‐stigma of seeking help had an inverse relationship with mental health literacy. No statistically significant relationships were found between health outcomes, either type of self‐stigma, and mental health literacy. The authors discuss these and other findings and offer research and counseling implications.     

African American Pastors on Mental Health,Coping, and Help Seeking

Within the Black Church, there remains much that is unknown about pastoral motivations, beliefs, and attitudes about mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate pastors' responses to parishioners dealing with mental health issues, including perspectives on counseling services and coping strategies. According to this study's findings, African American pastors often are the first line of support for parishioners' mental health and recognizing adaptive and maladaptive forms of coping.     

Colonial Mentality and Mental Health Help‐Seeking of Filipino Americans

Filipino Americans present with very low rates of mental health help‐seeking. Because of the colonial history between the Philippines and the United States, the authors examined how colonial mentality and internalized oppression, along with ethnic identity, acculturation, and social support, were related to mental health help‐seeking attitudes of Filipino Americans (N = 410). Furthermore, the authors investigated how colonial mentality affects the ethnic identity of Filipino Americans. Major findings included that colonial mentality was negatively related to ethnic identity development and social support, and higher levels of colonial mentality significantly predicted negative mental health help‐seeking attitudes above and beyond ethnic identity, acculturation, social support, and demographic variables. Implications for the counseling profession are considered.     

Seeking help when transgender: Exploring the difference in mental and physical health seeking behaviors between transgender and cisgender individuals in Ireland

Abstract

Background: While there is growing awareness of the need to support the physical and mental wellbeing of transgender people, some may be reluctant to seek help from healthcare professionals. Little is understood about the mechanisms that influence help-seeking behavior in this group.

Aims: This study aimed to compare transgender and cisgender participants in their likelihood to seek help for both physical and mental health conditions, and to explore whether this help-seeking behavior is predicted by a range of sociodemographic and psychological variables.

Methods: 123 participants living in Ireland (cisgender= 67; transgender= 56) completed a questionnaire which included demographic questions, as well as measures of optimism (LOT-R), self-esteem (RSES), psychological distress (GHQ-12), attitudes towards seeking psychological help (ATSPPH-SF), and attitudes towards seeking help for a physical health problem (Attitudes Towards Seeking Medical Help Scale- Action/Intervention subscale). Associations between predictor variables and mental and physical health seeking were explored using correlation analysis and stepwise regressions.

Results: Transgender participants were less likely to seek help for a physical health issue than cisgender participants, but did not differ in mental health help-seeking behaviors. Results suggest that this may be due to differences in optimism, self-esteem and psychological distress. Transgender participants had significantly lower optimism and self-esteem, which were two factors linked to poorer physical health seeking behaviors. Optimism also emerged as a significant predictor in mental health seeking behaviors.

Discussion: The lack of a significant difference for mental health help-seeking between the transgender and cisgender participants is encouraging, as it suggests that there is less stigma surrounding mental illness than expected, however findings also contradict previous findings suggesting that physical health is less stigmatized. This could be due to stigma relating to gender-specific healthcare and suggests that healthcare professionals should acknowledge the specific healthcare needs and concerns among transgender individuals.     

Book Reviews

Scruton, Roger Modern Philosophy: An Introduction and Survey
Fraser, Nancy and Bartky, Sandra Lee (eds) Revaluing French Feminisms: Critical Essays on Difference, Agency and Culture
Friedman, Marilyn What are Friends For? Feminist Perspectives on Personal Relationships and Moral Theory     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed:
Casement, Ann (ed.)., Post-Jungians Today: Key Papers in Contemporary Analytical Psychology.
Frankel, Richard., The Adolescent Psyche: Jungian and Winnicottian Perspectives.
Hillman, James., The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling.
Raphael-Leff, Joan & Jozef Perelberg, Rosine (eds.)., Female Experience: Three Generations of British Women Psychoanalysts on Work with Women.
Haynes, Jane & Shearer, Ann (eds.)., When a Princess Dies: Reflections from Jungian Analysts.     

Book Reviews

Books reviewed: Christopher Mabey, Denise Skinner and Timothy Clark Experiencing Human Resource Management Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter The Truth about Burnout: How Organizations Cause Personal Stress and What to Do About It K.W. De Dreu and Evert Van De Vliert Using Conflict in Organizations Richard Jeanneret and Rob Silzer Individual Psychological Assessment: Predicting Behavior in Organizational Settings