Older Adults Seeking Mental Health Counseling in a NORC

Abstract

The authors used the Andersen model to compare older adults’ help seeking from clergy to help seeking from other sources of formal mental health services. Data were from the Naturally Occurring Retirement Community Demonstration Project. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compare sources from which help was sought.The results indicate that older adults sought help from clergy more frequently than from other formal sources. Increased stress levels, higher intrinsic religiosity, and being younger were related to seeking help from clergy. Greater stress and attendance at religious services were related to help seeking from other sources. Only greater frequency of attending religious services was associated with a greater likelihood of seeking help from clergy versus other formal providers.The increasing elderly population and the attendant crisis in mental health services might best be addressed through public-private partnerships in which mental health professionals assist clergy in identifying problems and making appropriate referrals.