Straiton Melanie L, Ledesma Heloise Marie L, Donnelly Tam T
Department of Mental Health and Suicide, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. box 4404, 0403, Oslo, Norway.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Oslo University Hospital, P.O. Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424, Oslo, Norway.
BMC Womens Health. 2018 May 25;18(1):73. doi: 10.1186/s12905-018-0561-9.
Immigrant women face greater barriers to health care, especially mental health care, than non-immigrant women. However, immigrants are a heterogeneous group and bring with them a range of different personal, social, cultural and economic factors, which impact both mental health and access to care. In this study, we explored factors that influence Filipina immigrants' perceptions of help seeking from a general practitioner for mental health problems in Norway.
Using data from semi-structured interviews, we applied a post-colonial feminist perspective to identify factors that affect perceptions of help seeking.
Findings indicated that a combination of the women's beliefs and values, stigma, experiences with healthcare services in Norway and familiarity with mental health services influence perceptions of help seeking. Some factors represented structural barriers to healthcare seeking in general, while others related to mental healthcare seeking in particular. The significance of each factor varied depending on the women's backgrounds.
Socioeconomic status, educational background, familiarity with health services and experience of mental health can influence immigrant women's perceptions of, and barriers for, help seeking for mental health problems. There are a number of barriers to address at a structural level to improve both the propensity to seek healthcare in general, as well as mental healthcare in particular. Efforts to increase awareness of primary mental healthcare services may also help change the perception that professional help is only appropriate for serious mental health disorders.
与非移民女性相比，移民女性在获得医疗保健，尤其是心理健康护理方面面临更大的障碍。然而，移民是一个异质性群体，她们带来了一系列不同的个人、社会、文化和经济因素，这些因素既影响心理健康，也影响获得护理的机会。在本研究中，我们探讨了影响菲律宾移民在挪威向全科医生寻求心理健康问题帮助的认知的因素。
利用半结构化访谈的数据，我们采用后殖民女性主义视角来确定影响寻求帮助认知的因素。
研究结果表明，女性的信念和价值观、耻辱感、在挪威的医疗服务经历以及对心理健康服务的熟悉程度共同影响寻求帮助的认知。一些因素总体上代表了寻求医疗保健的结构性障碍，而其他因素则特别与寻求心理健康护理有关。每个因素的重要性因女性的背景而异。
社会经济地位、教育背景、对健康服务的熟悉程度以及心理健康经历会影响移民女性对心理健康问题寻求帮助的认知和障碍。在结构层面上有许多障碍需要解决，以提高总体上寻求医疗保健以及特别是心理健康护理的倾向。提高对初级心理健康护理服务的认识的努力也可能有助于改变认为专业帮助只适用于严重心理健康障碍的观念。
