SynthesisPloS one2023
Mental illness and help-seeking behaviours among Middle Eastern cultures: A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative data.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- School-based psychosocial interventions for refugee and conflict-affected adolescents in Middle Eastern countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of public health (Oxford, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Caregivers' Perspectives Regarding the Use of Psychotropic Medication in Children and Young Adults: A Systematic Review.The International journal of social psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Sleep-related problems among patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean region: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Improving happiness, resilience, and self-efficacy while reducing stress for rural Lebanese women using the Transcendental Meditation practice: A randomized controlled trial.Women's health (London, England)Trial
- Returning home and re-negotiating mental health: a qualitative study of help-seeking, stigma, and cultural identity among Algerian international student returnees.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2026Article
- Article
- Help-Seeking Self-Stigma and the Association Between Perceived Social Support and Psychological Distress Among Kuwait University Students: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Moderation Analysis.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2026Article
- Trainee Suicide in a Middle Eastern Teaching Hospital: A Call for National Policy Reform.Academic psychiatry : the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry · 2026Article
- Mental health literacy mediates associations of self rated health and chronic disease status with anxiety and depression in Chinese residents.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- 'Mental health was always the last; always an afterthought': policy analysis of domestic financing and prioritisation for mental health in Ghana.BJPsych open · 2026Review
- Satisfaction with telepsychiatry and mental health stigma among health sciences students in Egyptian universities.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Voices from Within: Saudi Arabian Women's Lived Experiences of First-Episode Psychosis, Hospitalisation, and Recovery Pathways.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Quality of Life in Children with Developmental Language Disorder.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Ketogenic therapy as a potential novel treatment approach for PTSD: an integrative review and proposed mechanistic model.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- MMPI-3 Psychopathological Profiles in Iranian Patients with Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study.Psychology research and behavior management · 2026Article
- Between culture and religion: explanatory models of mental health conditions amongst Muslims in Cape Town, South Africa.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Article
- Cross-national comparisons of adolescent mental health and suicidality in the Middle East: a cross-sectional secondary analysis of the global school-based student health survey.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Impact of Multimorbidity on Mental Illness in the United Arab Emirates: A Review.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWestern literature has long explored help-seeking behaviours related to mental health issues. However, this has been relatively neglected in the Middle East despite an increase in mental health needs in the region. The purpose of this review was to conduct a systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis exploring help-seeking behaviours related to mental health issues in the Middle East.
methodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-synthesis to gain a comprehensive overview of what is known about mental health and help-seeking behaviours in the Middle East from published qualitative research in the Middle Eastern region. A search of electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and QScience) was carried out from inception to July 2022. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool, and the review protocol was pre-registered with PROSPERO (Ref: CRD42022311494).
resultsWe identified 16 qualitative studies exploring mental health-seeking behaviours in Middle East countries. Facilitators and barriers to help-seeking were captured under six overarching themes. Across all studies, we identified negative attitudes towards seeking help for mental health issues, economic and structural barriers to accessing mental healthcare, and misconceptions surrounding religious beliefs, all of which had a critical role in impacting decisions to seek mental healthcare services. Many sought help from alternative sources, such as traditional healers or family members before consulting a healthcare professional. The role of the family and cultural norms was also identified as key contributors to people's help-seeking behaviours.
conclusionsThis meta-synthesis indicates the existence of many challenges surrounding mental health-seeking in the Middle East, including public and internalizing stigmas. This suggests an urgent need for an increase in psychoeducation and mental health awareness in the region.
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Registered trials
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.