Willingness to Seek Help for Mental Health, Psychological Well-being and Perceived Stress in LGBTQIA+ Individuals

Description

Page: 63-69

Miloni Ogale and Neha Bhansali (Department of Psychology, Maniben Nanavati Women’s College, Mumbai, Maharashtra)

The LGBTQIA+ community in India is under-researched, and growing awareness has put the community at a higher risk of experiencing stress related to their identity, which would impact their well-being, and pose a need for psychological help. This study investigates the relationship between Willingness to Seek Help for Mental Health (WSHMH), Psychological Well-being (PWB), and Perceived Stress (PS) in LGBTQIA+ individuals. The sample consisted of 119 individuals who self-identified as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community from across India, between the ages of 15 and 48. The Inventory of Attitudes towards Seeking Help for Mental Health Scale (Mackenzie et al., 2004); Ryff’s Psychological Well-being Scale (Ryff, 1989); and Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen, 1983) were used in the study. A Pearson’s product-moment correlation was conducted between the three variables. The results stated a positive correlation between WSHMH and PWB, where r was found to be 0.24, significant at p<0.01 level. The results also noted a significant negative correlation between PWB and PS, where r was found to be -0.41, significant at p<0.001 level. However, the relationship between WSHMH and PS was found to be insignificant. The results of the study implicate ways in which the well-being of LGBTQIA+ individuals can be bettered, based on factors that are currently an obstacle for seeking help.