(PS9-49) Impact of Attitudes on the Relationship Between Psychological Symptoms and Help Seeking Behavior in a Black and Non-black International Sample

Internationally, members of the African diaspora (Black people), report higher rates of untreated mental illness than peers of other races. Research has suggested that symptoms associated with poor mental health such as clinical depression and anxiety are not associated with positive evaluations of help seeking behaviors such as contacting mental health professionals for care. The current study sought to examine the impact of attitudes toward seeking mental health care on the causal relationship between symptoms of depression anxiety or stress as measured by the DASS-21 to formal help seeking behaviors reported by participants. The study further examined the impact of racial identity on this relationship to highlight any discrepancies specific to Black people. Participants were then asked to report barriers and accommodations to mental health treatment that they have experienced or have access to, as well as their expectations and preferences in treatment. This research is intended to help guide outreach and clinical approaches to treating Black people with mental illness. Participants were divided into two even groupings of 250 Black participants and 250 Non-Black participants (N=500) to complete the same survey virtually. A moderated mediation analysis was conducted to examine the mediating effects of attitudes towards professional help seeking on the relationship between psychological symptomology and help seeking behaviors, as well as to examine any moderating effects that could be highlighted by racial differences. Between group differences in reported barriers and accommodations to care were analyzed using chi-square independence testing. Chi square analyses were similarly conducted to evaluate participant reports of expectations and preferences during treatment. There was a significant direct relationship between symptoms and help seeking behaviors found with results indicating a significant partial mediating effect of participant attitudes on the direct relationship (R2= 0.1521, p=< 0.000). While race moderated the direct relationship from symptoms to help seeking behaviors (β= 0.016, SE= 0.0025, t= 6.375, p= < 0.000), race was not found to significantly moderate the mediation. Similar rates of participants in both the Black (80.8%, n=202) and Non-Black (84.4%, n=211) groups reported at least one barrier negatively impacting their access to mental health care. There were significant differences between Black and Non-Black participant reports of accommodations to care c² (1, N=500) = 19.60, p= < 0.00 with most Black participants (n=167; 66.8%) reporting access to at least one (M= 1.55) accommodation to care and most Non-Black participants (n=132; 52.80%) not reporting access to any (M=0.96) accommodations. Non-Black participants more often reported internalized barriers to care while Black participants more often reported external structural barriers to care indicating a need to better address structural limitations as clinicians and service providers. Clinicians may hope to utilize community engagement as a potential access point for gaining the interest of Black individuals in need of mental health care.