Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Treatment Delivery Preferences Associated With Type of Mental Disorder and Perceived Treatment Barriers Among Mexican University Students

2020; Elsevier BV; Volume: 67; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.01.025

1879-1972

Corina Benjet, Andrea K. Wittenborn, Raúl A. Gutiérrez–García, Yesica Albor, Eunice Vargas Contreras, Sergio Cruz Hernández, Karla Patricia Valdés‐García, Iris Rubí Monroy Velasco, Álvaro J. Peláez Cedrés, Praxedis Cristina Hernández Uribe, Anabell Covarrubias Díaz-Couder, Guillermo E. Quevedo Chávez, María Abigal Paz-Peréz, María Elena Medina‐Mora, Ronny Bruffaerts,

Mental Health Research Topics

Purpose Although Internet-based electronic health (eHealth) interventions could potentially reduce mental health disparities, especially in college students in under-resourced countries, little is known about the relative acceptability of eHealth versus in-person treatment modalities and the treatment barriers associated with a preference for one type over the other. Methods Participants were from the 2018–2019 cohort of the University Project for Healthy Students (PUERTAS), a Web-based survey of incoming first-year students in Mexico and part of the World Mental Health International College Student Survey initiative. A total of 7,849 first-year students, 54.73% female, from five Mexican universities participated. We estimated correlates of preference for eHealth delivery over in-person modalities with a multivariate logistic regression. Results Thirty-eight percent of students prefer in-person services, 36% showed no preference for in-person over eHealth, 19% prefer not to use services of any kind, and 7% preferred eHealth over in-person treatment delivery. Being embarrassed, worried about harm to one's academic career, wanting to handle problems on one's own, beliefs about treatment efficacy, having depression, and having attention-deficient hyperactivity disorder were associated with a clear preference for eHealth delivery methods with odds ratios ranging from 1.47 to 2.59. Conclusions Although more students preferred in-person services over eHealth, those reporting attitudinal barriers (i.e., embarrassment, stigma, wanting to handle problems on one's own, and beliefs about treatment efficacy) and with depression or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder had a greater preference for eHealth interventions suggesting these are students to whom eHealth interventions could be targeted to alleviate symptoms and/or as a bridge to future in-person treatment.