Willingness and barriers to utilizing e-therapy services: A Nigerian general population qualitative study

Seeking Professional Help for Mental Illness: A Mixed-Methods Study of Black Family Members in the UK and Nigeria

“…The findings agree with Banks ( 2020 ) who argued that socio-cultural factors including stigmatization and poor understanding of mental health could hinder Black people from seeking mental health services. The findings support Ogueji et al ( 2021a ) who argued that concerns about confidentiality and long waiting time associated with face-to-face therapy may be hindrances during mental health service utilization.…”

“…The time taken to see a professional for mental health care was identified as another barrier. This, therefore, possibly supports the importance of e-therapy to mitigate the long waiting time that could be associated with face-to-face therapy (Ogueji et al, 2021a ). A UK respondent supporting this theme reported: The waiting time (long waiting time) to physically see a professional can restrict me from seeing a professional for my mental health needs (Female, UK, middle SES).…”

“…Respondents were bothered about the safety of information shared during professional help-seeking or therapy sessions. This was not surprising since the literature has highlighted concerns about confidentiality as a major issue in mental health service utilization (Ogueji et al, 2021a ). An example of a response endorsing this theme was given below: …A barrier is the kind of person to meet and talk to - (for instance, who knows if they will be trustworthy like they claim?)…”

“…Following the quantitative and qualitative data analyses, the results from both strands were integrated. Both authors conducted the data analyses of this study and we both had expertise in conducting data analyses in health and psychological research (e.g., Ogueji, 2021 ; Ogueji & Okoloba, 2022 ; Ogueji et al, 2021a , 2021b ; Okoloba et al, 2020 ). Our qualitative strand was in keeping with the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ; Booth et al, 2014 ).…”

“…Lastly, we recommend that during therapy sessions, clients/patients should be assured/re-assured of the safety of information shared, and e-therapy may be considered as an intervention for mitigating the long waiting time that could be associated with face-to-face therapy. However, e-therapy may be challenging to carry out in Nigeria where many required infrastructures are lacking (Ogueji et al, 2021a ). Governments and relevant stakeholders thus need to pay attention to the unmet needs associated with carrying out e-therapy.…”