Ready, Willing and Able? An Investigation of the Theory of Planned Behaviour in Help-Seeking for a Community Sample with Current Untreated Depressive Symptoms

Abstract

Applying health behaviour change models, such as the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), to help-seeking for mental health problems can address the deficit in health care utilisation. However, previous studies largely focused on help-seeking intentions and not behaviour, which might be problematic due to the intention-behaviour gap. Hence, TPB and help-seeking were examined in a German community sample with current untreated depressive symptoms: 188 adults (M age = 50.34; SD = 16.19; 70.7% female) participated in a baseline interview and survey measuring components of the TPB (attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control) and help-seeking intentions. They reported actual help-seeking from mental health professionals via telephone surveys 3 and 6 months later. To better understand the potential gap between help-seeking intentions and behaviour and to investigate the contributions of readiness, willingness and ability to seek help, two path models were constructed in accordance with the TPB controlling for covariates. Attitudes (β = .24), subjective norms (β = .25) and self-efficacy (β = .15) were significantly associated with intentions (R 2 = 26%), which predicted help-seeking (Cox and Snell's pseudo-R 2 = 23%); controllability did not predict help-seeking. In sum, the TPB provides a reliable framework to explore help-seeking behaviour for mental health problems. Based on these findings, prevention efforts should focus on readiness and willingness to seek help (e.g. foster positive attitudes and social support of treatment). However, the role of ability, operationalised as perceived behavioural control and (perceived) barriers to help-seeking, warrants further research, as self-efficacy but not controllability was associated with help-seeking.

How can the utilisation of help for mental disorders be improved? A quasi-experimental online study on the changeability of stigmatising attitudes and intermediate variables in the process of utilisation

“…With the TPB [60,61] subjective norms (items 1 to 4), attitudes (items 5 to 7) and perceived control (items 8 to 10) of help-seeking, theoretically based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour [1], is assessed. All items measuring subjective norms (α = .84) and perceived behavioural control (α = .74) were rated on a 7-point Likert scale from 1 = "strongly disagree" to 7 = "strongly agree".…”

“…Results showed that stigmatising attitudes were negatively associated with a perceived need for help [59] and the use of professional psychiatric and psychotherapeutic help (β = − 0.19, p = 0.08). Furthermore, the main predictor for health care utilisation was the intention to seek help, which explained 22-37% of the variance of actual help-seeking behaviour and was especially strong for seeking psychotherapeutic help (β = 0.31, p < 0.001 [60];). Additionally, further findings concerning the self-identification as mentally ill [57], as well as a subjective sense of illness [58] and their respective association with help-seeking intention and behaviour were considered.…”

“…Studies show differential results of the effects of causal beliefs on stigma and help-seeking (e.g., [33,57]). Finally, self-efficacy is included in the model, which we again specified as the (4) self-efficacy to help oneself and (5) self-efficacy to seek out professional help, since they seem to have a different effect on help-seeking intention and behaviour [60,61]. The Common-Sense-Model of Self-Regulation (CSM [36];) is used as a corresponding theoretical framework.…”

Strategies for a Circular Economy in the Construction and Demolition Sector: Identifying the Factors Affecting the Recommendation of Recycled Concrete

“…Intentions can lead to the implementation of the behaviour if the agent has the possibility of doing so, i.e., if the agent "can decide at will to perform or not perform the behaviour" [50]. Research focused on the intention-behaviour gap is vast and sometimes mixed (e.g., [57][58][59][60]). Previous studies have reported positive relationships between behavioural intention and actual behaviour in the construction sector [49,61].…”

Intención del comportamiento de estudiantes relacionada a los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible, basado en la teoría del comportamiento planificado

“…En la actualidad una de las teorías más utilizadas para explicar los factores que llevan a las personas a participar en el comportamiento en distintos contextos, biológicos (Li y Li, 2020), alimentación (Lwin, Malik y Lau, 2020), psicológicos (Tomczyk et al, 2020), informáticos (Yakasai y Jusoh, 2015), marketing (Justin, Ashwin y Jayesh, 2016), sostenibilidad (Savari y Gharechaee, 2020;Hao et al, 2020;Yang et al, 2019;Torres, Barreto y Rincón, 2015), es la Teoría del Comportamiento Planificado.…”