Symptom Severity, Self-efficacy and Treatment-Seeking for Mental Health Among US Iraq/Afghanistan Military Veterans

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-17-2020

Publication Title

Community Mental Health Journal

Volume

56

Issue

7

First page number:

1239

Last page number:

1247

Abstract

Military veterans have high rates of mental health problems, yet the majority do not seek treatment. Understanding treatment-seeking in this population is important. This study investigated if symptom severity and self-efficacy are associated with treatment-seeking among US Iraq/Afghanistan veterans. Survey data from 525 veterans meeting clinical criteria for PTSD and depression were included of which, 54.4% had sought treatment in the past 12 months. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that high symptom severity was associated with treatment seeking, whereas high self-efficacy was associated with a decreased likelihood to seek treatment. Self-efficacy could be an underlying mechanism of treatment seeking decisions.

Keywords

Treatment-seeking; Health belief model; Symptom severity; Self-efficacy; Military veterans

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Mental and Social Health | Military and Veterans Studies | Psychiatric and Mental Health | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Language

English

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