Attitudes and stigma toward seeking psychological help among Saudi Adults

Bushra A. Alluhaibi · Abdel W. Awadalla

58 citations0/0 files storedBMC Psychology

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Mental Health Treatment and Access Psychology and Mental Health Gender Roles and Identity Studies

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), public attitudes and stigma toward mental health illness seem to prevent people from seeking psychological help, which negatively impacts an individual's life. The primary objective of this study was to investigate people's attitudes toward seeking psychological help and identify the extent to which the associated stigma is responsible for preventing them from seeking psychological help. METHODS: Two hundred eighteen adults recruited from the community living in the Eastern Province of the KSA completed the questionnaires, customized to create the Arabic version of Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form (ATSPPH-SF-A), the Arabic version of Stigma Scale for Receiving Psychological Help (SSRPH-A), and the Arabic version of Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25-A). RESULTS: Both stigma and psychological distress significantly affected attitudes toward seeking professional help. Furthermore, it indicated that attitudes were negatively correlated with stigma while positively correlated with psychological distress. No significant difference in attitudes toward psychological help-seeking was identified between male and female participants. However, males displayed higher levels of stigma, while females showed greater psychological distress. Furthermore, the groups who received psychological treatment demonstrated more favorable attitudes toward seeking psychological help. CONCLUSION: Stigma and psychological stress influence attitudes toward treatment-seeking behavior for mental illness, making them two major predictors responsible for the underutilization of mental health services. More research is needed to assess specific sociodemographic disparities across more data sources and the factors that further contribute to stigma and psychological distress.

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2007G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences 1969The Handbook of Social Psychology 2000Mental health literacy 2002Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness.2014The Impact of Mental Illness Stigma on Seeking and Participating in Mental Health Care 2005Mental illness stigma: Concepts, consequences, and initiatives to reduce stigma 2005Public beliefs about and attitudes towards people with mental illness: a review of population studies 2000Mental Health Stigma as Social Attribution: Implications for Research Methods and Attitude Change

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