Blom Sara, Lindh Frida, Lundin Andreas, Burström Bo, Hensing Gunnel, Löve Jesper
School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Box 453, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Centre for Epidemiology and Community Medicine, Region Stockholm, Solnavägen 1E, 104 31, Stockholm, Sweden.
Arch Public Health. 2024 Jan 25;82(1):12. doi: 10.1186/s13690-023-01228-7.
Men are more likely to have unmet need for mental healthcare than women. However, an under-investigated aspect of the gender difference is the role of mental health literacy. This study investigated how combinations of gender and mental health literacy were related to two indicators of unmet need: not perceiving a need for mental healthcare despite poor mental health, and refraining from seeking mental healthcare.
This cross-sectional study was based on a questionnaire sent to a general population sample, aged 16-84 years, in Stockholm County, Sweden, in 2019. Of the 1863 respondents (38%), 1563 were included (≥18 years). The sample was stratified into four groups, men and women with low or high mental health literacy, using the third quartile of the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule. The likelihood of not perceiving a need for mental healthcare and refraining from seeking mental healthcare, at any time in life, were investigated by calculating odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals.
Men with low mental health literacy were most likely to not perceive a need for mental healthcare, also when adjusting for age, education, and poor mental health (OR 5.3, 95% CI 3.6-7.7), and to refrain from seeking mental healthcare, also when adjusting for age and education (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.7-6.4), followed by men with high mental health literacy (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.5-2.4, and OR 1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.2) and women with low mental health literacy (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-2.9, and OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1-3.9). Women with high mental health literacy were least likely (reference group).
The results show differences in the likelihood of unmet need for mental healthcare based on combinations of gender and mental health literacy level, with men having low mental health literacy being most at risk, and women with high mental health literacy being least at risk. This challenges generalisations of a gender difference in unmet need by showing heterogeneity among men and women based on mental health literacy. Men with low mental health literacy may be particularly in need of targeted interventions to reduce potential individual and societal consequences of their unmet need.
男性比女性更有可能存在未满足的心理健康护理需求。然而，性别差异中一个未被充分研究的方面是心理健康素养的作用。本研究调查了性别与心理健康素养的组合如何与两个未满足需求的指标相关：尽管心理健康状况不佳但未意识到需要心理健康护理，以及避免寻求心理健康护理。
这项横断面研究基于2019年发送给瑞典斯德哥尔摩县16 - 84岁普通人群样本的一份问卷。在1863名受访者（回复率38%）中，1563人（≥18岁）被纳入研究。使用心理健康知识量表的第三个四分位数将样本分为四组：心理健康素养低或高的男性和女性。通过计算具有95%置信区间的比值比，研究在人生任何时候未意识到需要心理健康护理以及避免寻求心理健康护理的可能性。
心理健康素养低的男性最有可能未意识到需要心理健康护理，在调整年龄、教育程度和心理健康状况不佳后也是如此（比值比5.3，95%置信区间3.6 - 7.7），并且在调整年龄和教育程度后也最有可能避免寻求心理健康护理（比值比3.3，95%置信区间1.7 - 6.4），其次是心理健康素养高的男性（比值比1.9，95%置信区间1.5 - 2.4，以及比值比1.5，95%置信区间1.0 - 2.2）和心理健康素养低的女性（比值比1.9，95%置信区间1.2 - 2.9，以及比值比2.
