TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2024//
TI  - Gender differences in attitudes towards psychological help-seeking among Chinese medical students: a comparative analysis
JO  - BMC public health
A1  - Qiu, Lei
A1  - Xu, Hengyi
A1  - Li, Yingqi
A1  - Zhao, Yonghui
A1  - Yang, Qin
SP  - e1314
EP  - e1314
VL  - 24
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: Medical students are known to be at a greater risk of psychological disorders compared to the general population. However, their rate of help-seeking behavior is low. The purpose of this study was to explore the influencing factors of attitudes towards psychological help-seeking among Chinese medical students and to examine its gender differences. <br><br>METHODS: A total of 3,453 medical students from three medical colleges in Hainan Province, China, completed anonymous questionnaires that included socio-demographic attributes, the Family APGAR Index, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-20), and the Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help Short Form (ATSPPH-SF). Associations between predictor variables and attitudes towards help-seeking were explored using multivariate linear regression, and regression models with interaction terms were employed to test gender difference. <br><br>RESULTS: The mean score on ATSPPH-SF Scale was 15.04 ± 3.45, with males scoring significantly lower than females (14.34 vs. 15.64, P < 0.0001). For both male and female groups, psych knowledge, mental health status, family function and help-seeking utility perception significantly influenced attitudes toward psychological help-seeking. Furthermore, having more than once psycho-help experiences was positively correlated with women's attitudes. Significant interactions were found between gender and mental health status. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Attitude towards seeking psychological help was relatively negative among Chinese medical students. The implementation of interventions should take into account the at-risk population, especially the males and individuals with poor mental health.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1471-2458
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18826-x
ID  - ref1
ER  -