Help-seeking by rural residents for mental health problems: the importance of agrarian values.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of stoicism, self-efficacy and perceived stigma in predicting help-seeking by rural residents, for mental health problems.

METHOD: A cross-sectional community survey was conducted with a sample of 467 rural residents (58% female), who completed self-report questionnaires assessing current levels of symptomatology, disability, perceived stigma, self-efficacy, stoicism, attitudes towards and experience of seeking help for psychological problems.

RESULTS: Overall, 27.6% (n=129) of respondents had sought help from a general practitioner and/or mental halth professional for psychological problems or a mental health issue. More women than men reported having sought such help. Lifetime help-seeking for a psychological problem or mental health issue was positively associated with higher levels of distress and lower levels of stoicism and, to a lesser extent, lower levels of self-efficacy.

CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to improve help-seeking by rural residents for mental health problems should focus on understanding and addressing attitudes, such as stoicism which act as barriers to help-seeking.