Barriers to help-seeking as perceived by adolescents in Egypt and their relationship to self-reported psychological distress

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of psychological distress among Egyptian adolescents, the attitudes toward seeking professional help, and the associated barriers. The study explored how factors such as the severity of psychological distress, gender, age, socioeconomic status, and geographical region can relate to such barriers. The study design is a quantitative correlational design. Data was collected through a structured online survey (in English and Arabic), including the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10) and the Barriers to Adolescents Seeking Help Questionnaire (BASH) instruments. A sample of 70 Egyptian adolescents aged between 10 and 21 was recruited using convenience and snowball sampling. Results regarding the prevalence of psychological distress indicated that 77% were likely to have severe difficulties. The three highest-scoring barriers to seeking help were Time Availability, Self-Perception, and Stigma. Moreover, A moderate positive correlation of r(70) = 0.43, p < 0.001 was found between the severity of psychological distress and barriers to seeking help. Significant differences in perceived barriers were found between genders (p = 0.02), different age groups (p=0.047), and urban and rural regions (p<0.001). As for socioeconomic status(SES), group differences in perceived barriers were insignificant (p=0.174). This study’s results shed light on understanding the main barriers discouraging Egyptian adolescents from seeking professional help, despite the high prevalence of severe self-reported psychological distress in adolescents in Egypt. Results give rise to useful implementation suggestions, such as nationwide campaigns, school-based interventions, government policies, awareness raising on adolescent mental health and local and online services provision.