TY - JOUR
AU - K. S. Sun
AU - T. P. Lam
AU - D. Wu
AU - T. H. Chan
AU - G. Browne
AU - S. W. C. Chan
A1 - 
AB - Help-seeking for depression and anxiety disorders from primary care physicians in Western countries is at three times the rate of China. Western help-seeking models for common mental disorders have limitations in the Chinese settings. This article argues that an adapted model based on Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use could be an appropriate tool to better understand patients' help-seeking behaviors and improve outcomes. We applied a narrative review approach to integrate research findings from China into Andersen's model to generate a model that fits the Chinese context. We found 39 relevant articles in PubMed, MEDLINE, and Chinese journal databases from 1999 to 2022. Findings were mapped onto predisposing, enabling, and need factors of the model. This model emphasizes that predisposing factors including demographics, social norms, and health beliefs influence help-seeking preferences. Mental health service users in China tend to be older and female. Chinese generally have high concern about psychotropic medications, and social norms that consider psychological distress a personal weakness may discourage help-seeking. However, help-seeking can be enhanced by enabling factors in the health system, including training of primary care physicians, longer consultation time, and continuity of care. Need factors for treatment increase with the severity of distress symptoms, and doctor's skills and attitudes in recognizing psychosomatic symptoms. While predisposing factors are relatively hard to change, enabling factors in the health system and need factors for treatment can be targeted by enhancing the role of family doctors and training in mental health.
AD - Centre for Health Systems and Policy Research, JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. RINGGOLD: 26451; Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. RINGGOLD: 25809; Department of Social Medicine and Health Education, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.; Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.; Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Sydney, Australia.; Tung Wah College, Hong Kong. RINGGOLD: 261919
AN - 38233734
BT - Transcult Psychiatry
C5 - Healthcare Disparities; Medically Unexplained Symptoms
CP - 2
DA - Apr
DO - 10.1177/13634615231225130
DP - NLM
ET - 20240117
IS - 2
JF - Transcult Psychiatry
LA - eng
N2 - Help-seeking for depression and anxiety disorders from primary care physicians in Western countries is at three times the rate of China. Western help-seeking models for common mental disorders have limitations in the Chinese settings. This article argues that an adapted model based on Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use could be an appropriate tool to better understand patients' help-seeking behaviors and improve outcomes. We applied a narrative review approach to integrate research findings from China into Andersen's model to generate a model that fits the Chinese context. We found 39 relevant articles in PubMed, MEDLINE, and Chinese journal databases from 1999 to 2022. Findings were mapped onto predisposing, enabling, and need factors of the model. This model emphasizes that predisposing factors including demographics, social norms, and health beliefs influence help-seeking preferences. Mental health service users in China tend to be older and female. Chinese generally have high concern about psychotropic medications, and social norms that consider psychological distress a personal weakness may discourage help-seeking. However, help-seeking can be enhanced by enabling factors in the health system, including training of primary care physicians, longer consultation time, and continuity of care. Need factors for treatment increase with the severity of distress symptoms, and doctor's skills and attitudes in recognizing psychosomatic symptoms. While predisposing factors are relatively hard to change, enabling factors in the health system and need factors for treatment can be targeted by enhancing the role of family doctors and training in mental health.
PY - 2024
SN - 1363-4615
SP - 182
EP - 193+
ST - A Chinese help-seeking model for psychological distress in primary care: An adaptation of Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use
T1 - A Chinese help-seeking model for psychological distress in primary care: An adaptation of Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use
T2 - Transcult Psychiatry
TI - A Chinese help-seeking model for psychological distress in primary care: An adaptation of Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use
U1 - Healthcare Disparities; Medically Unexplained Symptoms
U3 - 10.1177/13634615231225130
VL - 61
VO - 1363-4615
Y1 - 2024
ER -