Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37626290›Full record

SynthesisBMC geriatrics2023

Barriers and facilitators of older adults for professional mental health help-seeking: a systematic review.

Usra Elshaikh, Rayan Sheik, Raghad Khaled Mohammad Saeed, Tawanda Chivese, Diana Alsayed Hassan

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 69 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
69citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
26.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

69 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 80 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Article
  6. Prevalence, Correlates, and Treatment of Major Depression Among Community-Dwelling Adults Aged ≥50 in the US.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2026
    Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Stigma of concerns about falling among older adults.European geriatric medicine · 2026
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article

9 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Usra ElshaikhDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
Rayan SheikDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
Raghad Khaled Mohammad SaeedDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
Tawanda ChiveseCollege of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
Diana Alsayed HassanDepartment of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. dalsayed@qu.edu.qa.
Qatar University · QA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOlder adults are at an increased risk for mental health issues, yet they are less likely to seek professional help. This systematic review aims to identify and summarize literature on the barriers and facilitators that older adults face when seeking professional mental health help.

methodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted using multiple databases including PubMed-Medline, EMBASE, ProQuest central, CINAHL and Scopus to identify relevant studies published between 2010 and 2021 that focused on barriers and/or facilitators to seeking help for depression, anxiety, and psychological distress among older adults aged 65 years or older. Studies' risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and results of studies were synthesized guided by the methodological framework of Rodgers and colleagues.

resultsA total of eight cross-sectional studies, from Australia, United States, Mexico, Netherlands, and Malaysia met the inclusion criteria for this review. Included studies reported that the majority of their participants had anxiety or depression, yet they exhibited a preference for informal mental health help over professional help. Stigma, negative beliefs about mental health professional services, and cost were the most reported barriers. Main reported facilitators were prior positive experience with mental health services and high socioeconomic status.

conclusionOlder adults are in need of interventions normalizing mental health help seeking and ensuring these services are accessible in terms of costs. This should be the focus of policy makers, healthcare providers, and public health practitioners working with older adults. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021238853.

Indexed as

Mental HealthMental Health ServicesAgedAnxietyAnxiety DisordersCross-Sectional StudiesHumansAnxietyBarriersDepressionHelp-seekingMental healthOlder adults

Identifiers

PMID37626290
PMCPMC10463345
OpenAlexW4386163901

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.