Mental Health Beliefs Amongst Emirati Female College Students

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Community Mental Health Journal

Publication Date

2-1-2016

Abstract

© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York. Recent epidemiological data from Arabian Gulf nations suggest that mental health problems such as depression and anxiety have a relatively high prevalence, particularly amongst women. However, despite the widespread morbidity, treatment seeking for mental health problems is low. Mental health beliefs amongst female Emirati college students were explored. A questionnaire exploring perceptions about the causes, consequences and best forms of intervention for mental health problems was administered to 70 participants. Data revealed that social and environmental factors were given the most weight in terms of etiology. Social stigma was the most frequently identified barrier to help seeking. Religious practices were commonly reported as an approach to cope with mental health problems and to maintain good psychological health. Most participants reported willingness to seek help from a healthcare professional. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for improving the quality and accessibility of mental health services in the gulf region.

ISSN

0010-3853

Publisher

Springer New York LLC

Volume

52

Issue

2

First Page

233

Last Page

238

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Keywords

Barriers to professional help-seeking, Emirati mental illness beliefs, Mental health, Stigma

Scopus ID

84957438060

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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