Pathways from health beliefs to treatment utilization for severe depression

Background Untreated depression is associated with negative behavioral, psychosocial, and physical outcomes leading to socioeconomic costs, disability, and premature mortality. Research has not yet fully developed intervention models to increase the utilization of mental health treatments. The objective of the current study was to characterize the pathways linking health beliefs to treatment utilization among depressed young adults. Methods Data were collected in 2017 from 53,760 college students at 54 universities in the United States. Among the respondents, 5,343 screened positive for moderately severe to severe depression. Becker's Health Belief Model (HBM) was the guiding theoretical paradigm. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted to elucidate treatment‐seeking behavior based on health beliefs (perceived severity, perceived benefit, perceived barriers, self‐efficacy, and cues‐to‐action) while controlling for relevant sociodemographic covariates. Results Depression treatment utilization was significantly associated with all domains of the HBM. SEM parameter estimates indicated that higher levels of perceived severity, self‐efficacy, and cues‐to‐action were associated with greater depression treatment utilization, whereas perceived benefits and perceived barriers were associated with lower depression treatment utilization. Conclusions The HBM may be useful to predict the frequency of seeking treatment by individuals for depression. However, individualized intervention strategies targeting different aspects of the HBM are needed to promote help‐seeking behaviors in young adults with depression. The objective of this study was to characterize the pathways linking health beliefs to treatment utilization among 5,343 young adults who screened positive for severe depression. Improved depression treatment utilization was significantly associated with higher levels of perceived severity, self‐efficacy, and cues‐to‐action, whereas perceived benefits and perceived barriers were associated with lower depression treatment utilization. Health beliefs are useful to predict the frequency of seeking treatment by individuals for depression.