A cross-cultural study of mental health beliefs and attitudes towards seeking professional help

Background: This study sets out to examine the relationship between culture beliefs about the causes of mental distress and attitudes associated with seeking professional help for psychological problems. It was hypothesised t hat there is a meaningful and statistical relationship between these variab les and that there will be a difference in this relationship between Asians and Westerners. Participants were 287 adults belonging to three groups (Br itish Asian, western European and Pakistanis). Method: Participants complet ed two questionnaires: the Orientations to Seeking Professional Help (Fisch er and Turner 1970) and the Mental Distress Explanatory Model Questionnaire (Eisenbruch 1990) and a demographic data sheet. Results: Analysis indicate d that positive attitudes toward seeking professional help for psychologica l distress were similar for British Asians, Westerners and Pakistanis. Ther e were significant differences between the three groups in the causal attri butions of mental distress. Although culture, as a variable, was not a sign ificant predictor of a positive attitude to seeking professional help, caus al beliefs of mental distress were significant predictors of attitudes to s eeking help for the British Asian and the Pakistani groups. Beliefs were no t significant predictors for attitudes to seeking help for the Western grou p. Conclusion: It was concluded that culturally determined causal beliefs o f mental distress contribute to attitudes towards seeking professional help for psychological problems for Asians. Implications for both research and the provision of more appropriate health services for the British Asian min ority group in the United Kingdom are discussed.