Determinants of Young Men’s Help-Seeking Behavior
Insights From a National Australian Survey
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21748844 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robert M Palmer (0000-0002-8855-9022, The University of Sydney, corresponding author), James Kite (0000-0001-5500-2538, The University of Sydney), Philayrath Phongsavan (0000-0003-2460-5031, The University of Sydney), Katherine Owen (0000-0001-5248-3030, The University of Sydney), Katherine B Owen (The University of Sydney), Timothy Mo (0000-0001-8588-4076, Melbourne Health), Timothy Moss (0000-0003-0543-6228, Melbourne Health), Timothy J Moss (Healthy Male, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), Bernie Marshall (0000-0001-7233-3275, Deakin University), Ben J Smith (0000-0002-9014-7254, The University of Sydney) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 15579883251412964-15579883251412964 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Men s Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1557-9883 • E-ISSN: 1557-9891 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/15579883251412964 |
| PMID | 42087447 |
| OpenAlex | W7160428677 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 56 |
Young men face unique barriers to accessing health care, contributing to poor health outcomes. We used data from 188 Australian men aged 18–34 years, who participated in a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, to examine the relationships between health literacy, health empowerment, social support, loneliness, and barriers to health care. Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct and indirect associations, adjusting for sociodemographic factors and health status. Loneliness and health literacy were consistently associated with barriers to help-seeking. Higher health literacy was linked to lower barriers ( β = −0.26, p = .001), whereas higher loneliness was associated with higher barriers ( β = 0.24, p = .007). Higher health empowerment was associated with lower concrete barriers and distrust of caregivers ( β = −0.20, p = .007), and loneliness was found to be indirectly associated with concrete barriers and distrust of caregivers through health empowerment ( β = 0.07, p = .024). Social support was not associated with barriers to help-seeking. These findings underscore the importance of health literacy and loneliness as consistent determinants of help-seeking and highlight the role of health empowerment in reducing practical and interpersonal access barriers. The results can inform the design of interventions to improve health care engagement among young men
Empowerment · Health care · Health literacy · Interpersonal communication · Literacy · Loneliness · Psychological intervention · Social determinants of health · Social support · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · Mental Health Treatment and Access
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Generalized Raking Procedures in Survey Sampling
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |