Openness to help-seeking for mental illness among Greek-Cypriots

Datos Bibliográficos

ID22945368
AutoresNektarios Alexi (Relationships Australia, Darwin, 5 Shepherd Street, Darwin NT, Australia, autor de correspondencia), Kate Moore (0000-0001-9161-331X, Federation University), Kathleen Moore (School of Psychology, Federation University Australia, Gippsland 2W, Churchill, Australia), Marios Argyrides (0000-0002-9936-7229, School of Health Sciences, Neapolis University, Pafos, Cyprus, 2 Danais Avenue, Paphos, Cyprus)
Año2018
Volumen33
Número6
Páginas990-998
Fecha de publicación2018-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaHealth Promotion International (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0957-4824 • E-ISSN: 1460-2245
EditorialOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/heapro/dax040
PMID30508128
OpenAlexW2748434506
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas47

The aim of this study was to test a model of people's willingness to seek help for mental illness whether currently diagnosed or not. A cross-sectional design was used to test this model in a non-clinical convenience sample of Greek-Cypriots. Participants were 196 Greek-Cypriots living in Cyprus (age M = 34.50 years, SD = 14.16). They provided demographic data on their age, gender, SES and whether diagnosed or not with a mental illness, from whom they have/would seek help for a mental illness, and their willingness to seek help. They completed the Inventory of Attitudes towards Seeking Mental Health Services, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Support, and the Practical Barriers in Seeking Mental Health Services Scales, translated into Greek for this study. Approximately 24% of the sample reported being diagnosed with a mental illness within the past 12 months, and around a third of these people were taking prescribed medication. Willingness to seek help across all participants was predicted negatively by stigma and positively by openness to help. The findings of the current study extend our previous limited understanding of the factors affecting people's willingness to seek help or their intentions towards the use of mental health services among Greek-Cypriots. Future research should consider whether there are any differences in help-seeking behaviours and motivations across people experiencing different disorders. Despite this limitation in the current data, these results can, in general terms, be used to inform policy in Cyprus for mental health promotions and interventions especially with respect to fostering an open attitude towards mental illness.

Help-seeking · Mental health · Mental illness · Openness to experience · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Scale (ratio) · Test (biology) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Social Psychology · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes