Cultural and Islamic influences on perceptions of mental health services among middle-aged Muslim adults

Abstract

Background: Several factors contribute to rejection attitudes towards professional mental health services within the Muslim community. The Muslims’ Perceptions and Attitudes to Mental Health (M-PAMH; Ali et al., 2021) examines some of these factors, including cultural and religious beliefs about mental health as well as experience and familiarity with professional mental health services. The M-PAMH constructs have been examined among a sample of younger Muslim women; however, the M-PAMH constructs have not yet been investigated among middle-aged Muslim adults. Purpose: The current study was aimed at examining the MPAMH constructs quantitatively and qualitatively among a sample of middle-aged Muslim adults. Method: Using a mixed-method sequential exploratory study design, a total of 78 participants completed a set of self-report questionnaires on rejection attitudes and factors influencing these rejection attitudes followed by individual interviews with a subsample of 14 participants to collect more in-depth perspectives on these issues. Results: A linear multiple regression analysis revealed that cultural and religious beliefs about mental health as well as experience and familiarity with professional mental health services significantly predicted rejection attitudes toward these services. Following directed content analysis, narrative data from the interviews indicated prominent cultural influence subthemes of trust, stigma, and values along with the religious influence subthemes of values and practices. Implications: Findings from this study will contribute to the growing body of literature on mental health seeking behaviors among Muslim Canadians and contribute to a better understanding of the specific needs of middle-aged Muslim adults seeking professional mental health services in Canada.