Barriers, and predictors of seeking mental health care among adults in Oman,2023: Across sectional study

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> Mental Health problems are causing disability among adults globally. They can be managed and controlled effectively if patients seek help early. Therefore, studying help-seeking attitudes and barriers is essential to improve mental health in public. This study aims to determine help-seeking predictors and barriers and their associated factors that affect access to mental health services. It is a cross-sectional study, that involved willing Omani adults aged 18- 64 years old from the 18 primary health centers of Al Dahera governorate from August to September 2023. Data was collected using the Barriers to Access to Care Evaluation (BACE-III) questionnaire. The total participants were 357. It has been found that major stigma and attitudinal barriers were 42.9% and 41.5%, respectively. Participants with current mental health problems responded with 64% major stigma barriers and 69% major attitudinal barriers (P value= 0.001 &amp; 0.023, respectively). The independent predictor for seeking mental health care was government workers (p-value = 0.014). In the Al Dahera governorate, seeking help attempts were found to be low. Stigma and attitudinal barriers affect seeking help significantly in the governorate. Increasing awareness to overcome these barriers will improve access to mental health services.