Repositorio
Institucional

Salinas-Onate, Natalia

Betancourt, Hector

Flynn, Patricia M.

Baeza-Rivera, Maria Jose

Ortiz, Manuel S.

Investigating Psychological Service Utilization Employing an Integrative Sociostructural, Cultural, and Behavioral Framework

AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC

PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY-RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

en

Building on research that has identified factors relevant to psychological services utilization, this study examines some of those variables within the context of cultural beliefs about psychological care among primary care patients in Chile, a country with high rates of depression and low mental health services utilization. Guided by an integrative conceptual framework, the structure of relations among sociostructural, cultural, and psychological factors influencing mental health services utilization was tested. Participants included 201 women referred for colocated psychological services at 13 primary care centers. Cultural beliefs about psychological care were measured employing a scale developed using a mixed-methods cultural research approach to instrument development. Additional scales assessed sociostructural factors (age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, SES), outcome expectations and emotions, and intention to utilize psychological services. A structural equation model including the hypothesized structure of relations among the study variables fit the data well (comparative fit index [CFI] = .99, chi(2)[68] = 78.44, p = .18, chi(2)/df = 1.15, root-mean-square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .03, 90% CI [.00, .05]). As proposed, cultural beliefs about psychological care predicted intention to utilize psychological services, directly and indirectly, through outcome expectations and emotions (ab ' = .07, CI [.01, .14]). Specifically, positive cultural beliefs about receiving psychological care influenced outcome expectations (beta = .30, p = .00) and positive emotions (beta = .43, p = .00), which in turn predicted intention to utilize psychological services (beta = .23, p = .01, beta = .18, p = .03). Integrative approaches including sociostructural, cultural, and psychological determinants may result in more effective and culturally appropriate interventions aimed at reducing disparities in psychological services utilization. This research could contribute to the internationalization of knowledge on mental health services utilization. Public Significance Statement The results revealed that patients who report more positive beliefs about psychological care are more likely to show higher expectations and more positive emotions about psychological treatment and, in turn, indicate a higher intention to adhere to the recommendation to pursue psychological services. These findings suggest that developing culturally sensitive interventions and addressing patients' cultural beliefs and outcome expectation concerning psychological care could have beneficial effects on patients' utilization of psychological services.

2022

artículo original

registro bibliográfico

10.1037/pro0000465

PDF

culture

expectations

emotions

psychological services utilization

Psicología

cultura

Expectativas

emociones

utilización de servicios psicológicos

Temuco, Chile# Padre las Casas, Chile

574.0

584

artículo original

versión publicada

metadata

metadata

WOS:000793445800001

0735-7028

Psicología