Theory-based behaviour change intervention to promote mental health help-seeking among older adults in Australia: Initial dissemination and acceptability

Authors

Claire Adams, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Eyal Gringart, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Natalie Strobel, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Australasian Journal on Ageing

Publisher

Wiley

School

School of Arts and Humanities / Kurongkurl Katitjin

RAS ID

56575

Comments

Adams, C., Gringart, E., & Strobel, N. (2023). Theory‐based behaviour change intervention to promote mental health help‐seeking among older adults in Australia: Initial dissemination and acceptability. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 42(3), 603-608. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.13185

Abstract

Objective: Rates of help-seeking for mental health problems among older adults are low and initiatives to increase help-seeking in older populations are limited. To our knowledge, no interventions have aimed to promote help-seeking among older adults by tapping internal motivations to seek help. In this paper, we describe the development of a theory-based intervention designed to promote mental health help-seeking among older adults in Australia, using an internal motivation paradigm. Methods: The intervention was co-designed through a consultative process with nine key stakeholders who represented five main groups: primary health-care providers, mental health professionals, health-care executives, community organisations and consumers. Development was an iterative process, based on best practice guidelines. Nineteen older adults (≥65 years) provided feedback on the acceptability of the intervention. Results: The intervention consisted of a help-seeking brochure with behaviour change messages based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Messages targeted older adults' attitudes towards help-seeking, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and barriers to seeking help. Most participants (74%) responded with agree/strongly agree to 10 items measuring the acceptability of the intervention, indicating the intervention is relevant, clear, appropriate and appealing. Conclusions: The present intervention appears to be an acceptable way to promote help-seeking for mental health problems among older adults. A larger, robust trial is warranted to determine the effectiveness of the intervention in improving help-seeking attitudes, intentions and behaviour. The intervention has the potential to increase older adults' engagement with mental health support and improve health outcomes in this population.

DOI

10.1111/ajag.13185

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.