Open AccessUnderstanding the Association Between Mental Health Knowledge and Mental Health Service Utilization Among Black Adults
Author(s) -
Aderonke Bamgbose Pederson,
Alexander C. Tsai,
Devan Hawkins,
Judith T. Moskowitz,
Lisa B. Dixon
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
community mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.639
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1573-2789
pISSN - 0010-3853
DOI - 10.1007/s10597-022-00988-w
Subject(s) - mental health , association (psychology) , mental health service , public health , health psychology , medicine , psychiatry , psychology , gerontology , nursing , psychotherapist
Mental health knowledge limitations may contribute to the treatment gap among Black adults. We conducted an online cross-sectional study of Black adults in the United States (n = 262, aged 18-65 years) from diverse ethnic backgrounds (African-Americans, African immigrants, Afro-Caribbean immigrants). Gamma regression using generalized linear models was used to estimate the associations between mental health knowledge and willingness to seek help from mental health professionals. After adjusting for age, education and ethnicity, participants with higher specific knowledge about mental health (such as recognition of schizophrenia as a mental illness) were 26% more likely to report willingness to seek help from a mental health professional for personal and emotional problems (RR = 1.26, CI 1.12-1.41, p < 0.001). Knowledge building interventions (such as psychoeducation) that seek to increase specific knowledge (rather than general knowledge) may correlate more strongly with utilization of mental health services among Black adults.