HKIER

Abstract

Past research has shown that Asians underutilize mental health services. One way to increase the use of such services is to understand their causal beliefs and help-seeking behaviors. The aim of this study was to examine how causal attributions of three types of psychiatric symptoms (depressive, anxious, and schizophrenic) were associated with preferred sources of help among a group of university students in Singapore. Cross-sectional data were collected through a survey questionnaire with symptom vignettes and examined by path analyses. Main results showed that endorsements of causal attributions varied by symptoms; for example, depressive and anxious symptoms were more likely than schizophrenic symptoms to be attributed to psychosocial causation. Based on separate path analyses for every symptom type, both psychosocial and biomedical causations were correlated with each other, which in turn were associated with various sources of help. Psychosocial causation was associated with the source of friend/classmate whereas biomedical causation was associated with the sources of medical doctor, mental health professional, and alternative medical practitioner. Seeking helps from these professional sources were also correlated with each other. These findings suggest that causal attributions, particularly biomedical dimensions of psychiatric symptoms, should be highlighted when implementing relevant mental health services for university students; and they may be receptive to a holistic treatment team consisting of friends, medical doctors, mental health professionals, and alternative medical practitioners.

摘要

過往的研究顯示，亞洲人未有充分使用精神健康服務。要增加這類服務的使用情況，方法之一便是了解他們對精神病的成因信念及求助行為。本研究旨在探討新加坡大學生對抑鬱、焦慮、精神分裂這三類精神病症狀的歸因與求助取向的關係。研究以問卷調查方法搜集資料，並以路徑分析方法來檢驗。問卷附有描述三類症狀的短文。研究結果顯示，歸因隨不同症狀而別。例如，抑鬱及焦慮症狀比精神分裂症狀較多歸因於社會心理因素。對不同症狀類型的獨立路徑分析結果表明，社會心理因素與生物醫學因素互有關連，而它們又與不同的求助取向相關。社會心理因素與求助於朋友／同學相關，而生物醫學因素與求助於醫生、精神健康專業人士及另類療法治療師相關。求助於各類專業人士亦彼此相關。研究結果指出，為大學生提供相關的精神健康服務時，應注意精神病的各種症狀歸因，尤其是生物醫學歸因方面。而且，大學生或許較易接受整全的治療，治療隊伍應包括朋友、醫生、精神健康專業人士及另類療法治療師。