(PS5-84) Beliefs About Therapy and Medications for Depression in the Arab World

Abstract Text:

Background: In many Arab and Middle Eastern communities, mental health remains a stigmatized topic, influencing help-seeking behaviors (Zolezzi et al., 2018). Negative societal attitudes are a major obstacle for Arabs, preventing many from accessing mental healthcare (Elshamy et al., 2023). Previous research has established various barriers to seeking mental health support, the understanding of specific attitudes toward psychotherapy and psychiatric medication within these communities remains limited. One reason for the paucity of research is a lack of existing measures to evaluate attitudes toward therapy and medication within Arab populations.

Method: Participants (N = 72; 43% female) were recruited to a study of predictors of treatment seeking. TGM Research survey panel was the main recruitment avenue; other participants were recruited from an international depression/suicide screening study (Leykin et al., 2012). Participants included in this analysis lived in one of the countries in the Arab world, spoke Arabic, screened positive for depression, and reported never having sought treatment for depression. Measures were translated into Arabic by one of the authors (SD). Twenty questions were logically grouped into 4 subscales of participant beliefs about therapy and 4 subscales about medication. Cronbach’s alphas and mean scores were calculated, per subscale.

Results: Overall, participants appeared to be more positively disposed towards therapy than medication. Thus, for therapy, the subscale with the highest score was “Helpful,” with items describing therapy as helpful for managing depression and self-understanding (M = 4.06 [1.71]; 𝛼 = .57). Negatively valenced scales had lower scores, as follows. “Fake,” with items stating that therapy would feel fake or unnatural and that talking to a stranger would feel weird (M = 3.73 [2.21]; 𝛼 = .69. “Fear,” with items describing apprehension about unwelcome knowledge about self or overcomplicating things (M = 3.25 [2.19]; 𝛼 = .61). “Misunderstood,” with items stating that therapist or anyone else won’t understand them or know what it is like to be depressed (M = 3.11 [2.19]; 𝛼 = .89). Conversely, the all negatively valenced subscales regarding medication were rated higher than helpfulness. Thus, “Side Effects,” with items concerning side effects and negative health effects was rated highest (M = 4.42 [1.96]; 𝛼 = .86). “Forever,” with items describing concerns that medications are addictive and will need to be taken for the rest of their lives (M = 3.93 [2.01]; 𝛼 = .79). “Zombie,” with concerns related to feeling fake or unnatural, like a zombie, or concerns about personality changes (M = 3.77 [1.95]; 𝛼 = .84). Subscale describing medication as helpful was rated the lowest (M = 3.18 [1.82]; 𝛼 = .77).

Conclusion: These results highlight specific attitudes toward psychotherapy and medication within Arab communities. By identifying prevalent ideas and misconceptions about help-seeking behaviors, these findings can inform targeted psychoeducational interventions aimed at increasing mental health literacy. More specifically, further intervention efforts can align with the cultural and familial dynamics of Arab communities, ensuring accessible and culturally appropriate care.