Objective
The Internet‐based Healthy Body Image (HBI) Program, which uses online screening to identify individuals at low risk of, high risk of, or with an eating disorder (ED) and then directs users ...to tailored, evidence‐based online or in‐person interventions to address individuals' risk or clinical status, was deployed at 28 U.S. universities as part of a randomized controlled trial. The purpose of this study is to report on: (a) reach of HBI, (b) screen results, and (c) differences across ED status groups.
Method
All students on participating campuses ages 18 years or older were eligible, although recruitment primarily targeted undergraduate females.
Results
The screen was completed 4,894 times, with an average of 1.9% of the undergraduate female student body on each campus taking the screen. ED risk in participating students was high—nearly 60% of students screened were identified as being at high risk for ED onset or having an ED. Key differences emerged across ED status groups on demographics, recruitment method, ED pathology, psychiatric comorbidity, and ED risk factors, highlighting increasing pathology and impairment in the high‐risk group.
Discussion
Findings suggest efforts are needed to increase reach of programs like HBI. Results also highlight the increasing pathology and impairment in the high‐risk group and the importance of programs such as HBI, which provide access to timely screening and intervention to prevent onset of clinical EDs.
Objective
Men can be reluctant to disclose distress and many men have ambivalence toward seeking help for depression, leading to poor uptake of and engagement in psychotherapy. The present study ...sought to explore whether a previously dissatisfying therapy experience leads to greater doubts about the effectiveness of treatment, in turn impacting on a man’s willingness to disclose their distress in future.
Method
An online survey of 133 Canadian men was conducted to investigate their current depressive symptoms, previous experience of, and belief in, the effectiveness of psychotherapy and likelihood of disclosing distress to their physician. A regression model with mediation was employed to analyze the relationship between these responses.
Results
The regression model highlighted a significant negative association between satisfaction with previous therapy and doubt about the effectiveness of therapy (t = −7.299, 99% confidence interval −.537, −.254, p < .001). There was also a significant indirect effect, such that doubt about the effectiveness of therapy mediated the association between previous satisfaction and willingness to disclose distress to a physician (t = 3.748, 99% confidence interval .123, .690, p < .001).
Conclusions
Providing treatment for depression that men find engaging and satisfying may improve their confidence that psychotherapy can help, make them more likely to reach out for assistance in the future and in turn, benefit their long-term mental health outcomes.
Objectives
The current study investigated beliefs about psychologists, psychological services and obesity, and their association with intentions to see a psychologist for weight management.
Methods
A ...cross‐sectional online survey design was employed in a sample of 136 adults with overweight or obesity (n = 121 females, M
age = 37.58, SD = 9.85).
Results
Psychologists and psychological services were viewed favourably by participants, with little evidence of role knowledge deficits or significant treatment barriers. Behavioural and social causal beliefs about obesity were indirectly associated with intentions to see a psychologist for weight management through positive associations with psychologists' perceived helpfulness in lifestyle intervention. Indirect effects were not observed for psychological and medical causal beliefs.
Conclusion
Promotion of psychological services in obesity could highlight their utility in addressing behavioural and social factors. However, there is a need for more research into avoidance of all sources of professional support in this context.
Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health disorders experienced by children, but only a minority of these children access professional help. Understanding the difficulties parents ...face seeking support for child anxiety disorders could inform targeted interventions to improve treatment access. The aims of the study were to identify barriers and facilitators to seeking and accessing professional support for child anxiety disorders, and ways to minimise these barriers. A qualitative interview study was conducted with parents of 16 children (aged 7–11 years) with anxiety disorders identified through screening in schools. Barriers and facilitators were identified in relation to four distinct stages in the help-seeking process: parents recognising the anxiety difficulty, parents recognising the need for professional support, parents contacting professionals, and families receiving professional support. Barriers and facilitators at each stage related to the child’s difficulties, the role of the parent, and parent perceptions of professionals and services. Findings illustrate the need (1) for readily available tools to help parents and professionals identify clinically significant anxiety in children, (2) to ensure that families and professionals can easily access guidance on the help-seeking process and available support, and (3) to ensure existing services offer sufficient provision for less severe difficulties that incorporates direct support for parents.
Theory of planned behavior explores the factors influencing behavior, with attitude being a primary determinant. Specifically, attitude plays a crucial role in shaping the decision to seek ...psychological assistance. According to the theory of planned behavior, behavior is determined by one's intentions, which are influenced by attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Various factors, including demographic, individual, and social elements such as age, gender, social stigma, self-stigmatization, self-efficacy perception, and self-disclosure, impact help-seeking behavior. Exploring these factors is vital for enhancing our understanding of psychological help-seeking behavior. Notably, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly influence adolescents' attitudes and intentions towards seeking psychological help. Negative attitudes towards seeking such help diminish the likelihood of adolescents seeking assistance, potentially leading to avoidance. Understanding the barriers to seeking psychological help is paramount for promoting adolescent mental health. Thus, this study investigates adolescents' attitudes and intentions regarding seeking psychological help through the lens of the theory of planned behavior.
Objectives
The present study aims to investigate the impact of help‐seeking self‐stigma on the preference and intention to seek psychological treatment delivered online compared to face‐to‐face.
...Design
This study uses survey data from two Swedish samples. Sample 1 consists of 267 students (78.7% women) with a mean age of 24.5 (SD = 6.1). Sample 2 consists of 195 primary care patients (56.9% women) with a mean age of 45.3 (SD = 17.7).
Results
The number of participants who preferred online treatment was higher if seeking psychological help for a perceived stigmatized problem compared to mental health problems in general. The odds ratios for choosing treatment online over face‐to‐face were 6.41, 95% CI 4.05, 10.14 in Sample 1 and 11.19, 95% CI 5.29, 23.67 in Sample 2. In addition, findings suggest that higher levels of help‐seeking self‐stigma predicted higher intention to seek treatment online compared to face‐to‐face.
Conclusions
Our results suggest that online interventions may facilitate help‐seeking among individuals deterred by stigma.
Aim
The aim was to describe the characteristics of young adult women who report urinary incontinence (UI), the types of UI they experience, the strategies they use or consider important for managing ...UI, and help‐seeking behavior.
Methods
Data were from the 1989‐1995 Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health cohort (n = 8457) at age 22 to 27 (in 2017). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize: characteristics of young women who experience UI; the types of UI they experience; which strategies women use to manage UI; perceptions of bladder control; and the proportion of women who seek help (and reasons why not). Prevalence ratios for UI according to sample characteristics were calculated using Poisson regression models.
Results
At age 22 to 27, 11% (n = 986) of young women reported UI in the past month. Compared with women who did not have UI, those reporting UI were 7 kg heavier on average and were more likely to be in the obese body mass index category, report high psychological distress, and have at least one child. Most women with UI reported mixed symptoms of UI (stress and urge), and used a combination of strategies to self‐manage UI symptoms. Only one in five women had sought help or advice from a healthcare professional.
Conclusions
Obesity, parity, and high psychological distress are strong correlates of UI in young women. As the majority of women with UI do not seek help, the antenatal period may be a critical time for healthcare providers to identify those at risk, and encourage early prevention or effective management strategies. As physical activity is positively associated with better outcomes for obesity and psychological distress, there may also be concurrent improvements in UI if these issues are addressed.
Saving the modern soul Illouz, Eva; Illouz, Eva
2008., 20080203, 2008, 2008-03-04, 20080101
eBook
The language of psychology is all-pervasive in American culture--from The Sopranos to Oprah, from the abundance of self-help books to the private consulting room, and from the support group to the ...magazine advice column. Saving the Modern Soul examines the profound impact of therapeutic discourse on our lives and on our contemporary notions of identity. Eva Illouz plumbs today's particular cultural moment to understand how and why psychology has secured its place at the core of modern identity. She examines a wide range of sources to show how self-help culture has transformed contemporary emotional life and how therapy complicates individuals' lives even as it claims to dissect their emotional experiences and heal trauma.
BackgroundConcerns regarding symptom severity and the risk of relapse among people seeking recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) have been raised since the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Owing to ...preventive measures implemented during the pandemic (social distancing or lockdown), self‐help group (SHG) meetings were restricted. However, the impact of deprivation of onsite recovery meetings on drinking behavior and risk among SHG members with AUD remains unclear. We examined the proportion of SHG members who reported drinking and their reasons for drinking during the early stages of the pandemic and the effect of nonattendance at onsite recovery meetings on drinking behavior during the early pandemic period, stratified by gender.MethodsA national cross‐sectional survey of Japanese SHG members was conducted to measure self‐reported alcohol consumption, sociodemographic characteristics, AUD diagnosis, treatment status, SHG meeting attendance, membership duration, psychological distress, and health‐related variables. Of 6478 SHG members, 2955 (male: n = 2678; female: n = 277; response rate: 46.7%) responded, and the responses were analyzed using a gender‐stratified multivariate logistic regression model.ResultsMost participants reported having abstained from alcohol use, while 6% of the respondents reported having consumed alcohol during the early stages of the pandemic. The proportion of “drinkers” among women (10.5%) was significantly higher than that among men (5.9%; p = 0.012). Through multivariate model analysis, the factors associated with drinking during the pandemic were identified as psychological distress (among men and women) and not attending onsite recovery meetings (among men). Conversely, a longer duration of SHG membership was associated with less drinking during the pandemic for both genders.ConclusionsMost SHG members appear to have remained abstinent during the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, psychological distress in both genders and the inability to attend recovery meetings among men may have influenced drinking behavior.
In addition to the professional treatment of eating disorders, the use of self-help groups has become increasingly important. Social media offers new possibilities for self-help, not only as online ...groups but also in increased access to recovery stories of people with similar diseases. People with eating disorders use the internet and social media depending on their motivation in different ways. Eating disorder recovery stories on social media have not yet been systematically used in treatment as appropriate guidelines are still lacking. This study provides an initial insight into the possibilities of using social media for self-help for eating disorders. Due to the exploratory nature, a qualitative design was used, combining interviews with people who have a recovery account on Instagram (
= 6) and self-help experts (
= 2). The results show that recovery stories on Instagram could serve as door openers for further treatment, motivation for therapy, a first step towards behaviour change, and support for existing therapies. If affected people can cope with the self-protection strategies, they can use Instagram positively for themselves and their disease. Nevertheless, there is a risk of negative influence as well as a risk of content and time overload. Therapeutic personnel can use these results to improve existing support services.
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