Factors Influencing Help Seeking Relationships of Heterosexual African American Males

Abstract

abstract:The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the factors that contribute to or diminish the likelihood of African American men seeking mental health services. Participants were 103 heterosexual, African American men geographically located throughout the United States. It was hypothesized that attitudes toward seeking psychological help were related to willingness to seek help, social stigma toward seeking psychological help, cultural mistrust, and emotional expressivity. Based on multiple regression analyses, the findings were that attitudes toward seeking professional help were predicted from general willingness to seek help and perceived social stigma toward receiving psychological help. Additionally, emotional expressivity and cultural mistrust were correlated with attitudes toward seeking professional help. The social change implications of these findings include providing a better understanding of the motivations of African American men as clients and the barriers that hinder their relationships with mental health provider. Lastly, this study may also assist with reducing the stigma associated with psychotherapy within the African American male community through increased education and awareness.