Gender Differences in Help-Seeking: A Meta-analysis of Japanese Studies, Including Unreported Data1

Abstract

This meta-analysis integrated and analyzed previous Japanese findings on gender differences in help-seeking intentions and attitudes. We searched relevant studies using the Citation Information by the National Institute of Informatics database and identified 85 articles. We also analyzed unreported statistical information provided by the primary authors of these studies. The results indicated that women had a higher tendency of intentions to seek help than men (d = −0.143, 95% CI [−0.196, −0.091], k = 64, n = 29,256). Further analysis of the types of help-seeking showed that women intended to seek help only from friends and family members. In contrast, university students intended to seek help from psychological professionals, physicians, and other formal sources for depressive symptoms, and this intention was higher among male students. Moreover, women had more favorable attitudes about seeking help than men (d = −0.092, 95% CI [−0.156, −0.027], k = 30, n = 11,536). Furthermore, several analyses indicated heterogeneity. However, we could not identify specific potential moderators. We also found that gender differences were smaller in studies that assessed help-seeking intentions using unvalidated measures.