Gender Differences in Help‐Seeking

A Meta‐analysis of Japanese Studies, Including Unreported Data 1

Bibliographic Data

ID19277684
AuthorsSatoru Nagai (0009-0006-7909-9075, Rissho University, corresponding author), Masato Kimura (0000-0002-9933-1402, Osaka International University), Masahiro Honda (0009-0002-2624-3935, Hokkaido University of Education), Toshiharu Iida (0000-0003-1367-3979, Komazawa Women's University), Haruhisa Mizuno (0000-0003-2109-8046, Osaka Kyoiku University)
Year2026
Volume68
Issue2
Pages212-231
Publication date2026-04-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJapanese Psychological Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-5368 • E-ISSN: 1468-5884
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jpr.12467
OpenAlexW4385257891
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited69

This meta‐analysis integrated and analyzed previous Japanese findings on gender differences in help‐seeking intentions and attitudes. We searched relevant studies using the Citation Information by the National Institute of Informatics database and identified 85 articles. We also analyzed unreported statistical information provided by the primary authors of these studies. The results indicated that women had a higher tendency of intentions to seek help than men ( d = −0.143, 95% CI [−0.196, −0.091], k = 64, n = 29,256). Further analysis of the types of help‐seeking showed that women intended to seek help only from friends and family members. In contrast, university students intended to seek help from psychological professionals, physicians, and other formal sources for depressive symptoms, and this intention was higher among male students. Moreover, women had more favorable attitudes about seeking help than men ( d = −0.092, 95% CI [−0.156, −0.027], k = 30, n = 11,536). Furthermore, several analyses indicated heterogeneity. However, we could not identify specific potential moderators. We also found that gender differences were smaller in studies that assessed help‐seeking intentions using unvalidated measures

Help-seeking · Information seeking · Library science · Mental health · Meta-analysis · Psychiatry · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Clinical Psychology · Computer Science · Medicine · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering · Psychology · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges

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