Dataset Information

"I was Confused … and Still am" Barriers Impacting the Help-Seeking Pathway for an Autism Diagnosis in Urban North India: A Mixed Methods Study.

ABSTRACT: Timely recognition of autism in children is integral to improve developmental outcomes. This study used mixed-methods (84 case-registers and 20 in-depth interviews with caregivers of children with a diagnosis of autism) to explore the extent to which the nature of parental concerns and prior knowledge of developmental disorders impact the time between symptom recognition and autism diagnosis, and the contextual family, societal and health-system related factors that impede the autism help-seeking pathway. Lack of awareness of age-appropriate child developmental milestones, apparent amongst the community and health professionals, contributed to a 1.5-year delay between parental concerns and autism diagnosis. Recommendations to shorten this help-seeking pathway include harnessing the potential of non-specialist workers to increase awareness and enable developmental monitoring of young children through scalable tools.

SUBMITTER: Bhavnani S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8938390 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

"I was Confused … and Still am" Barriers Impacting the Help-Seeking Pathway for an Autism Diagnosis in Urban North India: A Mixed Methods Study.

Bhavnani Supriya S Lockwood Estrin Georgia G Arora Rashi R Kumar Divya D Kakra Minal M Vajaratkar Vivek V Juneja Monica M Gulati Sheffali S Patel Vikram V Green Jonathan J Divan Gauri G

Journal of autism and developmental disorders 20210520 4

Timely recognition of autism in children is integral to improve developmental outcomes. This study used mixed-methods (84 case-registers and 20 in-depth interviews with caregivers of children with a diagnosis of autism) to explore the extent to which the nature of parental concerns and prior knowledge of developmental disorders impact the time between symptom recognition and autism diagnosis, and the contextual family, societal and health-system related factors that impede the autism help-seekin ...[more]

PMID: 34014464

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Project description:BackgroundA large number of Chinese suffer from common mental disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder), but treatment seeking is typically low in this population. It is unclear what barriers influence professional mental health help-seeking behavior within the Chinese population. Identifying these barriers could assist in implementation science efforts to reach this population.ObjectiveThis review systematically synthesizes findings related to the barriers to professional mental health help-seeking among Chinese adults.MethodsTwo English language databases (PubMed and PsycINFO) and two Chinese databases (WANFANGDATA and CNKI) were searched to find relevant studies. Quality assessment was conducted in identified studies. Quantitative findings were tabulated and frequently reported barriers were ranked. Primary data obtained from qualitative studies were thematically analyzed.ResultsOf 6,933 citations identified, 17 met inclusion criteria. There were 11 (64%) studies that reported quantitative methods; 3 (18%) employed qualitative research, and 3 (18%) mixed methods. Results indicated that frequently reported barriers to mental health help seeking among Chinese adults included a preference on self-reliance, seeking help from alternative sources, low perceived need toward help-seeking, a lack of affordability, negative attitude toward, or poor experiences with help-seeking. Less frequently mentioned barriers included stigma, families' opposition, limited knowledge about mental illness, a lack of accessibility, unwillingness to disclose mental illness, and fear of burdening family.ConclusionsThe current review identified a number of key barriers to help-seeking behavior. Effective strategies are needed to promote professional help-seeking among Chinese adults. Additional factors influencing professional mental health help-seeking need to be further investigated, as they may contribute to a better understanding the help-seeking behavior among Chinese.

Dataset Information

"I was Confused … and Still am" Barriers Impacting the Help-Seeking Pathway for an Autism Diagnosis in Urban North India: A Mixed Methods Study.

Publications

"I was Confused … and Still am" Barriers Impacting the Help-Seeking Pathway for an Autism Diagnosis in Urban North India: A Mixed Methods Study.

Similar Datasets

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