Beliefs that explain mental health help-seeking intention among older men: a reasoned action approach.

IF 2.4 4区医学 Q2 HEALTH POLICY & SERVICES

Health Promotion International Pub Date : 2025-09-03 DOI:10.1093/heapro/daaf170

Grant Duthie, Hao Xu, Amy Morgan, Nicola Reavley

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Abstract

Older men seek help for mental health concerns at almost half the rate of older females. Efforts to motivate older men to seek help through health promotion messaging are an important public health initiative that can complement healthcare system changes. Guided by the reasoned action approach, this study aimed to identify the most salient beliefs that shape help-seeking intention among older men by region (i.e. city or rural area) to primarily inform campaign messaging and improve mental health help-seeking among older men. A mixed-methods enquiry was conducted across two samples of older men, comprising open-ended belief elicitation interviews (N1 = 23, M1 age = 74.91) and an online closed-question survey (N2 = 306 participants, M2 age = 75.28). Interviews identified 52 behavioural, normative, and control beliefs. Survey results showed salient beliefs influencing help-seeking intention (range β = 0.42 to β = 0.44), including encouragement from others, gaining new solutions, improved self-understanding, and being listened to and supported when seeking help, representing suitable messaging design candidates. The influence of salient beliefs on intention did not differ by region. The results suggest that health promotion efforts grounded in reasoned action approaches can support the development of tailored interventions to promote help-seeking for poor mental health. However, research is needed to evaluate how to effectively translate salient beliefs into carefully framed mental health messages, aligned with broader healthcare system-level reforms to promote help-seeking among older men.

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解释老年男性心理健康求助意向的信念：理性行动方法。

老年男性因心理健康问题寻求帮助的比例几乎是老年女性的一半。努力通过健康促进信息来激励老年男性寻求帮助是一项重要的公共卫生行动，可以补充卫生保健系统的变化。在理性行动方法的指导下，本研究旨在确定影响地区（即城市或农村地区）老年男性寻求帮助意愿的最显著信念，以主要告知活动信息并改善老年男性的心理健康寻求帮助。在两个老年男性样本中进行了混合方法调查，包括开放式信念启发访谈（N1 = 23， M1年龄= 74.91）和在线封闭式问题调查（N2 = 306参与者，M2年龄= 75.28）。访谈确定了52种行为、规范和控制信念。调查结果显示，影响求助意向的显著信念（β = 0.42 ~ β = 0.44）包括他人的鼓励、获得新的解决方案、提高自我理解、在寻求帮助时得到倾听和支持，代表了合适的信息传递设计候选人。显著信念对意向的影响在不同地区没有差异。结果表明，基于理性行动方法的健康促进工作可以支持开发量身定制的干预措施，以促进对心理健康不良的寻求帮助。然而，需要研究评估如何有效地将突出的信念转化为精心构建的心理健康信息，与更广泛的医疗保健系统层面的改革相一致，以促进老年男性寻求帮助。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Health Promotion International Medicine-Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

CiteScore

4.70

自引率

7.40%

发文量

146

期刊介绍： Health Promotion International contains refereed original articles, reviews, and debate articles on major themes and innovations in the health promotion field. In line with the remits of the series of global conferences on health promotion the journal expressly invites contributions from sectors beyond health. These may include education, employment, government, the media, industry, environmental agencies, and community networks. As the thought journal of the international health promotion movement we seek in particular theoretical, methodological and activist advances to the field. Thus, the journal provides a unique focal point for articles of high quality that describe not only theories and concepts, research projects and policy formulation, but also planned and spontaneous activities, organizational change, as well as social and environmental development.