Intention to seek help for depression and associated factors among residents of Aykel town, Northwest Ethiopia: cross-sectional study

Depression is the leading cause of disability at a population level and globally 350 million people are suffering from depression. Despite a high prevalence and serious consequences, people with depression are reluctant to seek help and a large proportion remains untreated. The aim of this study was to assess intention to seek help for depression and associated factors among residents of Aykel town, Northwest Ethiopia.

This cross-sectional population based study included 832 participants. We used a major depressive disorder case vignette and general help-seeking questionnaire (GHSQ) to assess intention. Study participants selected by multistage cluster sampling technique. Face-to-face interview used to collect data. We performed adjusted multiple linear regression analyses to identify factors for intention to seek help.

The mean score on intention to seek help from any health professionals was 3.72 (SD = 1.23) with a range of (1 “very unlikely” to 5 “very likely”). Majority of the respondents had an intention to visit health professionals to get a remedy for their illness depicted in the vignette. The proportion of those who had an intention to seek help from any health professionals if they were having depression was 71.2%. Favorable attitude towards seeking professional help for depression positively associated with an intention to seek help with (unstandardized β = 0.03, 95% CI (0.01, 0.05), p-value < 0.001). Other factors positively associated with an intention to seek help for depression were age (β = 0.02, CI (0.01, 0.03) p < 0.001), and perceived need of treatment for depression (β = 0.19, CI (0.01, 0.38), p < 0.05). Poor social support was negatively associated with an intention to seek help for depression (β = − 0.39 CI − 0.68, − 0.10, p < 0.05).

The results suggest that over two-third of the respondents reported that they were likely or very likely to seek help from health professionals if they were having depression. Increased age, favorable attitude to depression, and perceived need for treatment were factors for intention to seek help. Interventions focusing on awareness creation and attitude change towards depression are necessary.