Mental health help-seeking intentions among health workers in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia: Perceived barriers and predictive factors.

The mean score for mental health help-seeking intention among health workers was 4.90 out of a possible range, indicating a moderate level of intention.

• Mean score for mental health help-seeking intention was 4.90 (SD = 1.03)
• Study involved 470 health workers in the East Coast region of Peninsular Malaysia
• Cross-sectional study design using a self-administered questionnaire
• Linear regression analysis was employed to identify predictors

Perceived need for help was a significant positive predictor of mental health help-seeking intention.

• B = 0.532, p < 0.001
• This finding was identified through linear regression analysis
• The positive direction indicates that greater perceived need for help was associated with higher help-seeking intention

Perceived stigma barriers negatively predicted mental health help-seeking intention among health workers.

• B = -0.588, p < 0.001
• The negative coefficient indicates that higher perceived stigma was associated with lower help-seeking intention
• Stigma barriers had a stronger magnitude of association (B = -0.588) than perceived need for help (B = 0.532)

Notable barriers to mental health help-seeking identified among health workers included concerns about perceptions of weakness, feelings of embarrassment, preference for handling problems independently, and challenges in taking time off work.

• These barriers were among the most prominently perceived by the 470 health worker participants
• Data collected via self-administered questionnaire in East Coast Peninsular Malaysia
• These barriers reflect both stigma-related and practical/logistical concerns