AUTHOR=Harmancı Pınar , Sazak Yasemin , Bulbuloglu Semra 

TITLE=Effects of a health-seeking behavior education program based on motivational interview techniques on health-seeking behaviors, illness self-management, and anxiety in elderly immigrant women: a randomized controlled study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1547195

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1547195

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=IntroductionWhether voluntary or forced, migration always affects those who migrate. Migrants experience the negative effects of migration more severely if they are older, chronic patients, or women. If a group of migrants possess all these vulnerabilities, they need more assistance and healthcare.ObjectiveThis study was carried out to investigate the effects of a health-seeking behavior education program based on motivational interview techniques on health-seeking behaviors, illness self-management, and anxiety in elderly migrant women.Material and methodThis study was conducted with a randomized controlled experimental design involving an experimental group (n = 18) and a control group (n = 18). The simple random sampling method was chosen to ensure that the groups were randomly distributed and had the same number of participants. A “Personal Information Form,” the “Health-Seeking Behaviors Scale,” the “Health Anxiety Inventory,” and the “Chronic Illness Self-Management Scale” were used to collect data. The intervention consisted of four structured seasons. In addition, the main themes were also covered with Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques within these seasons.ResultsBefore the intervention (pretest), no significant differences were found between the groups in health-seeking behaviors, health anxiety, or chronic illness self-management (p > 0.05). In the posttest, the control group showed a significant decrease in total Health-Seeking Behaviors Scale scores and in professional and traditional health-seeking behaviors (p < 0.05), while online health-seeking behaviors did not significantly change (p > 0.05). Additionally, the control group's self-stigma and other chronic illness self-management dimensions worsened (p < 0.05). In contrast, the experimental group showed significant improvements in total health-seeking behaviors, particularly in online and professional behaviors (p < 0.05). They also showed reductions in health anxiety and self-stigma, with improvements in chronic illness self-management dimensions such as coping with stigma and treatment adherence (p < 0.05). Intergroup comparisons revealed that the experimental group had significantly better outcomes in all these areas compared to the control group (p < 0.05).Discussion and conclusionThe study highlights that migration negatively affects health-seeking behaviors, especially in elderly migrant women. However, the health-seeking behavior education program based on motivational interviewing techniques proved to be effective in improving these behaviors, illness self-management, and reducing anxiety. This suggests the need for targeted interventions to support vulnerable migrant populations.