In the IBM-HS, help-seeking mechanisms are broad, latent perceptions about one’s seeking mental health help. The help-seeking mechanisms include:
The five types of help-seeking beliefs shape their corresponding help-seeking mechanisms (Montaño & Kasprzyk, 2015). These mechanisms then lead to one’s intention to seek help. There is cross-sectional evidence (longitudinal studies have not yet tested this) that these mechanisms function as statistical mediators of help-seeking determinants’ association with intention (e.g., Lee & Shin, 2022; Li et al., 2017). It should be noted that people can form a variety of beliefs about help seeking, but salient beliefs (i.e., cognitively accessible beliefs that come readily to mind) are thought to exert the most influence on people’s mechanisms (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010). Attitude, perceived norm, and personal agency are assumed to develop automatically without conscious effort as beliefs are formed, and these mechanisms become activated when a person is primed to think about seeking help (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010). Beliefs are topically specific (e.g., my seeking help would reduce my stress) whereas help-seeking mechanisms are broad, latent perceptions (e.g., attitude is one’s overall evaluation of one’s seeking help). Beliefs, in aggregate, have a causal impact on the mechanisms, with certain types of beliefs more likely to influence their corresponding mechanisms (e.g., beliefs about barriers and facilitators primarily exert influence on personal agency). Like beliefs, mechanisms assess people’s subjective perceptions, and thus may not align with reality.
A description of available mental health help seeking mechanism measures can be found on the Mechanisms measures page.
(Please note: select page content is excerpted from Hammer et al., 2024.)