Personality and help-seeking for psychological distress: a systematic review and meta-analysis
IntroductionThe effective management of depression, anxiety, and other forms of psychological distress depends on individuals’ readiness to seek and accept help for their mental suffering. Understanding which personality traits relate to help-seeking can help better tailor mental healthcare to indiv...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1405167/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832590927575646208 |
|---|---|
| author | Anna Szücs Anna Szücs Anna Szücs Rachel Hui Xin Lam Wymann Shao Wen Tang Lifan Zhou Monica Lazarus Andrea B. Maier Andrea B. Maier Andrea B. Maier Jose M. Valderas Jose M. Valderas Jose M. Valderas |
| author_facet | Anna Szücs Anna Szücs Anna Szücs Rachel Hui Xin Lam Wymann Shao Wen Tang Lifan Zhou Monica Lazarus Andrea B. Maier Andrea B. Maier Andrea B. Maier Jose M. Valderas Jose M. Valderas Jose M. Valderas |
| author_sort | Anna Szücs |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionThe effective management of depression, anxiety, and other forms of psychological distress depends on individuals’ readiness to seek and accept help for their mental suffering. Understanding which personality traits relate to help-seeking can help better tailor mental healthcare to individual needs. However, findings regarding associations of personality traits with help-seeking have been inconsistent.MethodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis focused on English-language research studies on the association of personality (encompassing personality disorders, Five Factor –Big Five– dimensions, and other measures of personality) with depression, anxiety, or unspecified psychological distress in adults aged 18 years and older. Procedures followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search strategy included two concepts: personality and help-seeking and was carried out on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. Reference tracking and searches on Google Scholar were additionally performed. Sufficiently homogeneous subsections were analyzed by meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 48 studies described in 47 records reported on the association between personality and help-seeking. Nine assessed personality disorders, 29 Five Factor dimensions, and 13 other personality constructs. Twenty-three studies investigated attitudes towards help-seeking while 25 studies investigated help-seeking behaviors. Of the studies investigating behavior, three used external observations, the rest relied on self-reports/clinician-administered questionnaires. Evidence highlighted a dissociation between attitudes and behavior for schizotypal and borderline personality disorders, and neuroticism, which displayed negative help-seeking attitudes but more help-seeking behavior. By contrast, paranoid, schizoid and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders related to both negative help-seeking attitudes and behavior across studies. Limited evidence linked extraversion to social support seeking and conscientiousness to care seeking behaviors. Meta-analyses on the Five Factor dimensions and help-seeking attitudes supported robust negative associations with neuroticism, as well as positive associations with agreeableness, albeit less reliably. Other personality traits mostly corroborated the above relationships, while also contributing new perspectives, such as help-seeking behavior’s negative associations with reality weakness and cynicism, and positive associations with abasement and rigidity.DiscussionFuture research should investigate help-seeking behavior using external observations and longitudinal designs. Assessing personality in clinical settings can help identify populations at risk of keeping to themselves when mentally distressed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f6f8285124584c02b01d7089061c1cc7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-f6f8285124584c02b01d7089061c1cc72025-01-23T06:56:10ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-01-011510.3389/fpsyt.2024.14051671405167Personality and help-seeking for psychological distress: a systematic review and meta-analysisAnna Szücs0Anna Szücs1Anna Szücs2Rachel Hui Xin Lam3Wymann Shao Wen Tang4Lifan Zhou5Monica Lazarus6Andrea B. Maier7Andrea B. Maier8Andrea B. Maier9Jose M. Valderas10Jose M. Valderas11Jose M. Valderas12Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeFaculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsDepartment of Family Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Statistics and Data Science, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeFaculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NetherlandsCentre for Healthy Longevity, @AgeSingapore, National University Health System, Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Family Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore, SingaporeCentre for Research in Health Systems Performance, (CRiHSP) National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeIntroductionThe effective management of depression, anxiety, and other forms of psychological distress depends on individuals’ readiness to seek and accept help for their mental suffering. Understanding which personality traits relate to help-seeking can help better tailor mental healthcare to individual needs. However, findings regarding associations of personality traits with help-seeking have been inconsistent.MethodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis focused on English-language research studies on the association of personality (encompassing personality disorders, Five Factor –Big Five– dimensions, and other measures of personality) with depression, anxiety, or unspecified psychological distress in adults aged 18 years and older. Procedures followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The search strategy included two concepts: personality and help-seeking and was carried out on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. Reference tracking and searches on Google Scholar were additionally performed. Sufficiently homogeneous subsections were analyzed by meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 48 studies described in 47 records reported on the association between personality and help-seeking. Nine assessed personality disorders, 29 Five Factor dimensions, and 13 other personality constructs. Twenty-three studies investigated attitudes towards help-seeking while 25 studies investigated help-seeking behaviors. Of the studies investigating behavior, three used external observations, the rest relied on self-reports/clinician-administered questionnaires. Evidence highlighted a dissociation between attitudes and behavior for schizotypal and borderline personality disorders, and neuroticism, which displayed negative help-seeking attitudes but more help-seeking behavior. By contrast, paranoid, schizoid and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders related to both negative help-seeking attitudes and behavior across studies. Limited evidence linked extraversion to social support seeking and conscientiousness to care seeking behaviors. Meta-analyses on the Five Factor dimensions and help-seeking attitudes supported robust negative associations with neuroticism, as well as positive associations with agreeableness, albeit less reliably. Other personality traits mostly corroborated the above relationships, while also contributing new perspectives, such as help-seeking behavior’s negative associations with reality weakness and cynicism, and positive associations with abasement and rigidity.DiscussionFuture research should investigate help-seeking behavior using external observations and longitudinal designs. Assessing personality in clinical settings can help identify populations at risk of keeping to themselves when mentally distressed.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1405167/fullpersonalityhelp-seekingcare seekingtreatment-seekingsocial support seekingdepression |
| spellingShingle | Anna Szücs Anna Szücs Anna Szücs Rachel Hui Xin Lam Wymann Shao Wen Tang Lifan Zhou Monica Lazarus Andrea B. Maier Andrea B. Maier Andrea B. Maier Jose M. Valderas Jose M. Valderas Jose M. Valderas Personality and help-seeking for psychological distress: a systematic review and meta-analysis Frontiers in Psychiatry personality help-seeking care seeking treatment-seeking social support seeking depression |
| title | Personality and help-seeking for psychological distress: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full | Personality and help-seeking for psychological distress: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_fullStr | Personality and help-seeking for psychological distress: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Personality and help-seeking for psychological distress: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_short | Personality and help-seeking for psychological distress: a systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_sort | personality and help seeking for psychological distress a systematic review and meta analysis |
| topic | personality help-seeking care seeking treatment-seeking social support seeking depression |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1405167/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annaszucs personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT annaszucs personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT annaszucs personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT rachelhuixinlam personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT wymannshaowentang personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT lifanzhou personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT monicalazarus personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT andreabmaier personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT andreabmaier personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT andreabmaier personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT josemvalderas personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT josemvalderas personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis AT josemvalderas personalityandhelpseekingforpsychologicaldistressasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis |