Author:
Fekih-Romdhane Feten,Daher-Nashif Suhad,Stambouli Manel,Alhuwailah Amthal,Helmy Mai,Shuwiekh Hanaa Ahmed Mohamed,Mohamed Lemine Cheikh Mohamed Fadel,Radwan Eqbal,Saquib Juliann,Saquib Nazmus,Fawaz Mirna,Zarrouq Btissame,Naser Abdallah Y.,Obeid Sahar,Saleh Maan,Haider Sanad,Miloud Lahmer,Badrasawi Manal,Hamdan-Mansour Ayman,Barbato Mariapaola,Motwakil Bakhiet Aisha,Khalil Najat Sayem,Adawi Samir,Grein Fatheya,Loch Alexandre Andrade,Cheour Majda,Hallit Souheil
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Determining the potential barriers responsible for delaying access to care, and elucidating pathways to early intervention should be a priority, especially in Arab countries where mental health resources are limited. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have examined the relationship between religiosity, stigma and help-seeking in an Arab Muslim cultural background. Hence, we propose in the present study to test the moderating role of stigma toward mental illness in the relationship between religiosity and help-seeking attitudes among Muslim community people living in different Arab countries.
Method
The current survey is part of a large-scale multinational collaborative project (StIgma of Mental Problems in Arab CounTries [The IMPACT Project]). We carried-out a web-based cross-sectional, and multi-country study between June and November 2021. The final sample comprised 9782 Arab Muslim participants (mean age 29.67 ± 10.80 years, 77.1% females).
Results
Bivariate analyses showed that less stigmatizing attitudes toward mental illness and higher religiosity levels were significantly associated with more favorable help-seeking attitudes. Moderation analyses revealed that the interaction religiosity by mental illness stigma was significantly associated with help-seeking attitudes (Beta = .005; p < .001); at low and moderate levels of stigma, higher religiosity was significantly associated with more favorable help-seeking attitudes.
Conclusion
Our findings preliminarily suggest that mental illness stigma is a modifiable individual factor that seems to strengthen the direct positive effect of religiosity on help-seeking attitudes. This provides potential insights on possible anti-stigma interventions that might help overcome reluctance to counseling in highly religious Arab Muslim communities.
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
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