Differences in professional help-seeking for mental health problems among migrants and non-migrants: Symptom severity, self-perceived mental health problem, and region of origin matter.

Abstract

Aims: To examine differences in help-seeking for mental health problems among migrants and non-migrants in Norway and to consider the role of symptom severity, acknowledgement of a mental health problem and region of origin.

Methods: We used data from a cross-sectional, online Norwegian Country Public Health Survey conducted in 2021. A total of 32,126 people, aged 18+ years, were included in the analyses, of which 8% were migrants. Around 60% of these were from countries within the European Economic Area, associated countries or the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (EEA+).

Results: Migrants from non-EEA+ countries showed higher odds of having sought professional mental health help than non-migrants, but this difference attenuated when controlling for sociodemographic factors, psychological distress and self-reported depression. An interaction revealed that at higher, but not lower, levels of psychological distress, non-EEA+ migrants had significantly lower odds of having sought help. Moreover, a stratified analysis indicated that this applied only to those without self-reported depression.

Conclusions: At high levels of psychological distress, people from non-EEA+ regions living in Norway may not be getting professional support for mental health problems to the same extent as EEA+ migrants and non-migrants. This may especially be the case for those who do not perceive their symptoms as a mental health problem. Consequently, improving the ability to recognise mental health problems may be a possible avenue for reducing the treatment gap for migrants with high symptom levels, though longitudinal studies would be required to confirm this.