(PS6-D100) Comparative Analysis of Help Seeking Behaviors in Black and Non-black Participants

Mental disorders are common in all countries and across all World Health Organization-observed regions. According to the 2022 World Health Report, more than 13% of the global population (over 970 million persons) is living with at least one mental health disorder. While many studies have examined the differing rates of psychological help-seeking behaviors across races within the United States, very few examine these differences globally. Virtually no studies examine these distinctions and trends with an oversampling of Black or African Diasporic participants compared to a more normative (i.e. White, non-Black) psychological sample. Within the United States, it has been shown that Black people are 20% more likely to experience some form of mental illness than the general population, and half as likely to have received services than their White counterparts. The current study collected a wide range of demographic, symptom-specific, and help-seeking behavior information from 500 participants globally, 250 of which were self-identified members of the African Diaspora. Participants (54% female, mean age 28.3 years) represented 32 distinct countries, with South Africa (41.77%), Poland (14.94%), Portugal (11.04%), and Mexico (6.93%) representing most participants in the sample. To measure symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, participants were asked to complete the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items (DASS-21). Regarding help-seeking behavior, of this sample, 13% reported being in the current care of a mental health professional, 67% had received some sort of professional mental health care in the past, and 55% had attempted at least once in their lives to receive mental health care. While the complete analysis of the study’s findings is currently underway, a one-way ANOVA comparing reported help-seeking behaviors will be conducted to inform us of any significant differences among Black and non-Black participants. Secondary analysis will then be conducted to examine rates of depression, anxiety, and stress  among these groups. Further analysis will be conducted to compare these differences within the context of healthcare policy as some countries represented in this sample, (e.g. Poland, Portugal, The Netherlands), provide free universal healthcare while others, (e.g. United States, Czech Republic), rely heavily on for-profit insurance models.