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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1376170

Status of professional mental health help-seeking intention and associated factors among medical students: a cross-sectional study in China

Provisionally accepted
Lei Qiu Lei Qiu 1Kaixin Wangzhou Kaixin Wangzhou 1*Yudan Liu Yudan Liu 2*Jindong Ding Jindong Ding 1*Hui Li Hui Li 3*Jinhui Ma Jinhui Ma 1*
  • 1 Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
  • 2 North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan Province, China
  • 3 Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Aim: Low professional help-seeking intention (PHSI) hinders effective treatment of mental illness. PHSI among Chinese students is still understudied and under-recognized. This study aimed to evaluate the status of PHSI and its associated risk factors among Chinese medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Hainan province, South China, between January 1, 2021, and May 31, 2021. A total of 2182 medical students were recruited and surveyed via an anonymous structured questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with PHSI. Results: Among the 2182 medical students (mean age 21.0 years (SD = 3.70), 61.5% females), those with and without PHSI were 72.0% and 28.0%, and 16.4% with moderate to severe depression. Male students, those with a high level of depression stigma, serious family dysfunction, and heavy dependence on mobile phones were significantly more likely not to seek professional mental health help, with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.5, 2.0, 2.1, and 1.7, respectively.: A significant proportion of Chinese medical students demonstrate low PHSI, influenced by factors such as gender, depression stigma, family dysfunction, and mobile phone dependence. Future interventions aimed at increasing medical students' PHSI should prioritize reducing depression stigma, mitigating reliance on mobile phone use, and enhancing family function to address these key barriers to seeking professional mental health support.Keywords：Stigma; Help-seeking intention; Medical students; China Regression analysis revealed that those students who were male (OR = 1.5), with a high level of depression stigma (OR = 2.0), had serious family dysfunction (OR = 2.1), with heavy dependence on mobile phones (OR = 1.7), were more likely not to seek for professional mental health help.Interventions concentrating on increasing medical students' PHSI should focus on reducing depression stigma, reliance on mobile phone use, and improving their family function.

    Keywords: stigma, help-seeking intention, Medical students, China, mental health

    Received: 25 Jan 2024; Accepted: 22 Apr 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Qiu, Wangzhou, Liu, Ding, Li and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Kaixin Wangzhou, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
    Yudan Liu, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, Sichuan Province, China
    Jindong Ding, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
    Hui Li, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, Anhui Province, China
    Jinhui Ma, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.