Intergenerational and cross-cultural differences in emotional wellbeing, mental health service utilisation, treatment-seeking preferences and acceptability of psychological treatments for Arab Australians

Rony Kayrouz, Blake F Dear, Luke Johnston, Liliane Keyrouz, Edmond Nehme, Roy Laube and Nickolai Titov

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2015, vol. 61, issue 5, 484-491

Abstract: Background: Little is known about the intergenerational and cross-cultural differences in emotional wellbeing and acceptability of psychological treatments for Arab Australians. Aim: To contribute to the emerging data about the mental health status and needs of Arab Australians. Method: An Internet survey examined psychological distress and functional impairment as measured by the Kessler 10 Item scale (K-10) and the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) among Arab Australians. Additional questions enquired about their help-seeking behaviours, barriers to accessing psychological treatments and preferences for delivery of psychological treatments. A total of 252 participants were recruited through public talks, media and online promotions. Results: Forty-three percent of the respondents reported moderate-to-severe functional impairment ( M  = 9.5; standard deviation ( SD ) = 1.8), 32% reported high psychological distress ( M  = 28.5; SD  = 5.4) and 30% were born overseas. First-generation Arab Australians experiencing high psychological distress (i.e. K-10 ≥ 22), reported a greater preference for Internet-delivered treatment when compared to their second-generation counterparts. Only 18% of the sample reported seeking help from a mental health professional in the past year. The significant barriers reported by respondents with high psychological distress were poor mental health literacy, lack of time and stigma. Respondents preferred face-to-face (90%) over Internet-delivered treatment (55%). Finally, Arab Australians experienced higher psychological distress and underutilised mental health services when compared to the Australian population. Conclusion: Targeted public health campaigns that make culturally relevant interventions such as modifying existing Internet-delivered treatment for Arab Australians may reduce barriers and increase treatment options for this population.

Keywords: Arab Australians; intergenerational; cross-cultural; psychological distress; mental health service utilisation; barriers; help-seeking preferences; Internet-delivered treatments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:61:y:2015:i:5:p:484-491

DOI: 10.1177/0020764014553004

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