Assault, psychiatric diagnoses, and sociodemographic variables in relation to help-seeking behavior in a national sample of women

✍ Scribed by Sarah F. Lewis; Heidi S. Resnick; Kenneth J. Ruggiero; Daniel W. Smith; Dean G. Kilpatrick; Connie L. Best; Benjamin E. Saunders

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 136 KB
• Volume: 18
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0894-9867
• DOI: 10.1002/jts.20012

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Using a national probability household sample of 4,008 women, we estimated the prevalence and correlates of formal and informal help seeking. One‐year prevalences of formal help seeking (e.g., seeking help from professional) and informal help seeking (e.g., seeking help from a relative or friend) were 10.6 and 6.6%, respectively. In the final multivariable model, increased likelihood of informal help seeking was associated with younger age, history of sexual assault, and past‐year diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive episode (MDE). Similarly, increased likelihood of formal help seeking was associated with younger age, Caucasian racial/ethnic status, history of sexual assault, history of physical assault, and past‐year diagnoses of PTSD and MDE. Implications for helping professionals and public education programs are discussed.