Attitudes of Male Prisoners Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help

Several variables have been associated with the tendency to seek psychological help. For example, attitudes, psychological distress, and treatment fearfulness have all been associated with mental health professionals and whether individuals seek help from counsellors. The aims of this study were: (1) to examine whether individuals seek help from mental health professionals, and (2) to assess the validity and utility of a short form of the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS) for assessing prison inmates' helpseeking attitudes. In addition, the relative impact of components of treatment fearfulness and psychological distress on helpseeking attitudes was assessed. Results were consistent with previous research, and indicated that male inmates (N= 173) have similar scores on the ATSPPHS to other male samples. Stigma-related treatment fears and psychological distress were significant unique predictors of attitudes toward professional psychological helpseeking. Factor analysis revealed a single general factor for the ATSPPHS. The potential utility of the brief version of the ATSPPHS was also supported. Suggestions are made for further research with this population and with the two versions of the helpseeking attitude measure.