Barriers to the utilization of mental health services among the Bedouin Arab community

Previous studies indicated indicators of high psychological distress among different ethnic minorities including the Bedouin Arab community in Israel. Despite the large need for mental health services, studies have revealed the underuse of mental health services among this minority. This research examines the barriers to the utilization of mental health services to cope with the psychological distress among this minority. In this research, we addressed five different barriers: 1) barriers related to stigma 2) barriers related to people’s attitudes 3) instrumental barriers 4) exposure to microaggressive in health services, and 5) Low mental health literacy.

Six hundred and fifty-one participants in this study. Women comprise 60% of the participants. They completed a questionnaire that included a demographic questionnaire, questions about past experiences of psychological distress, a questionnaire on barriers to accessing care (BACE v3), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS), and a questionnaire on the Use of mental health services.

The results indicated a high prevalence of stigma-related barriers (48.5%), those related to attitudes (58%), and instrumental barriers (49%). The vast majority reported a lack of knowledge about mental health (96%) and exposure to microaggressive experiences (91%). The statistical analysis indicated the prominent role of barriers related to attitudes, instrumental barriers, and barriers related to MHLS in predicting the utilization of mental health services. In other words, the higher the levels of attitudinal, instrumental barriers, and lack of knowledge of mental health issues, the less likely they are to seek mental health services.

This study underscores the need to tackle barriers to the utilization of mental health among the Bedouin Arab community and other ethnic-collectivistic minorities by increasing awareness and knowledge about mental health issues and providing the required resources for linguistically and culturally competent mental services within the local communities.