Camille V. De Leon, Maria Zharina Sanchez

Personality Determinants of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services

Introduction

Personality determinants of attitudes toward seeking mental health services. Explore how personality traits like Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism influence Filipino adults' attitudes toward seeking mental health services. Essential for tailored interventions.

Abstract

Mental health service utilization in the Philippines remains low despite significant psychological distress and recent legislative reforms aimed at improving access. Understanding factors influencing help-seeking attitudes is crucial for addressing this disparity. This study investigated the personality determinants of attitudes toward seeking mental health services. A cross-sectional design was employed with a sample of 294 Filipino adults, and data were analyzed using correlation analysis. Results indicated that Conscientiousness and Extraversion were significantly and positively correlated with psychological openness (r=.155, p< .01) and help-seeking propensity (r=.128, p< .05); while Neuroticism was negatively associated with the attitudes of psychological openness (r =-.209, p < .01) and indifference to stigma (r = -.128, p< .05) and showed Conscientiousness positively correlates with stigma sensitivity (r=.131, p < .05). These findings suggest that certain personality traits can either facilitate or hinder an individual's willingness to seek professional psychological help, highlighting the need for tailored interventions that consider internal personality factors in promoting mental health service utilization.

Review

This study addresses a critical issue concerning the persistently low mental health service utilization rates in the Philippines, despite evident psychological distress within the population and recent legislative efforts to improve access. The authors set out to investigate the specific personality determinants that influence attitudes toward seeking professional mental health services, a crucial undertaking for designing effective public health interventions. Employing a cross-sectional design, the research gathered data from a sample of 294 Filipino adults, utilizing correlation analysis to examine the relationships between various personality traits and different facets of help-seeking attitudes. The findings reveal several significant correlations between personality dimensions and attitudes towards mental health service seeking. Specifically, Conscientiousness and Extraversion were positively associated with both psychological openness and help-seeking propensity, suggesting that individuals with these traits may be more inclined to acknowledge mental health issues and consider professional help. Conversely, Neuroticism showed a negative correlation with psychological openness and indifference to stigma, implying that higher levels of neuroticism might be linked to greater internal resistance and concerns about social perceptions. Interestingly, Conscientiousness also positively correlated with stigma sensitivity, indicating a nuanced relationship where responsible and organized individuals might still be acutely aware of societal stigma, despite other facilitating traits. These results provide valuable insights into the complex interplay of internal individual factors in influencing mental health help-seeking behaviors within the Filipino context. The identification of specific personality traits that either facilitate or hinder an individual's willingness to seek professional support strongly underscores the authors' call for tailored interventions. While the cross-sectional design and correlational analysis preclude definitive causal inferences, the study successfully highlights significant associations that can inform future research and targeted public health campaigns. This work contributes meaningfully to the understanding of mental health service utilization, offering a foundational basis for developing more personalized strategies to enhance access and uptake in the Philippines.

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