Perceived need for care and treatment-seeking behaviour among ethnic minority groups exhibiting signs of mental illness.

AIMS: Ethnic minorities are more likely to experience negative social determinants of health, increasing their risk for mental illness. However, they are also less likely to access mental health services. This study aims to examine how perceived need for care and help-seeking behaviour (formal and informal) differ between ethnic minority groups and non-minority groups.

METHODS

We analyzed respondents aged 15 years and above exhibiting signs of mental illness (past 12-month suicidal ideation, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia and bipolar disorder) from the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey (n = 9861), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of the Canadian population. We used modified Poisson regression analysis, with perceived need for care, formal help-seeking behaviour and informal help-seeking behaviour as outcomes, and minority status as the exposure.

RESULTS

Ethnic minority groups meeting criteria for mental illness were generally less likely to perceive a need for care (prevalence ratios ranging from 0.81 to 0.90, p < 0.05 for all) and to seek help in a formal context (prevalence ratios ranging from 0.74 to 0.91, p < 0.05 for all) compared to non-ethnic minority groups. These differences were not observed for informal help-seeking, apart from ethnic minority groups who experienced symptoms of anxiety, who had reduced prevalence of seeking informal help. Gender and migrant status modified several of these relationships.

CONCLUSION

People from ethnic minority groups experiencing mental illness are less likely to perceive a need for care and to seek help in formal contexts. These effects vary by gender and migrant status.