Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39875905›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Help-seeking for depression among Vietnamese migrant workers in Japan and factors related to their intentions to seek help from a psychiatrist: a cross-sectional study.

Yui Fukuda, Atsuko Taguchi, Akane Futami, Yusuke Umegaki, Pham Nguyen Quy, Toshihiko Nakajima, Akihito Uezato

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Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Yui FukudaGraduate School of Health Management, Keio University, Fujisawa City, Kanagawa, 252-0816, Japan.
Atsuko TaguchiFaculty of Nursing and Medical Care, Keio University, Fujisawa City, Kanagawa, 252-0816, Japan.
Akane FutamiGraduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan.
Yusuke UmegakiCourse of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Human Life and Environment, Nara Women's University, Nara City, Nara, 630-8506, Japan.
Pham Nguyen QuyDepartment of Medical Oncology, Kyoto Miniren Central Hospital, Kyoto City, Ukyo-Ku, 616-8147, Japan.
Toshihiko NakajimaClover Plus Co., LTD, Ho Chi Minh, 71006, Vietnam.
Akihito UezatoCenter for Basic Medical Research, International University of Health and Welfare, 2600-1 Kitakanemaru, Ohtawara-City, Tochigi, 324-8501, Japan. uezato@iuhw.ac.jp.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundForeign workers are at risk for depression, and Vietnamese people tend to be reluctant to seek professional mental health care. Although Vietnamese people are the largest population among foreign workers in Japan, evidence concerning their help-seeking experiences and strategies to promote help-seeking in this population is lacking. This study aimed to identify the percentage of Vietnamese migrant workers in Japan who have sought help from healthcare professionals for depressive symptoms and to explore the factors related to their intentions to seek help from a psychiatrist.

methodsAn online questionnaire was administered to Vietnamese migrants working in Japan from October 5, 2021, to November 1, 2021. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores were calculated to measure the severity of the respondents' depression. Help-seeking experiences related to depressive symptoms were also investigated. The General Help-Seeking Questionnaire Vignette Version (GHSQ-V) was modified and adapted to measure the respondents' intention to seek help from a psychiatrist for depressive symptoms. To investigate the factors related to help-seeking intention, potential factors were selected from literature reviews and discussions with professionals in the field. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted.

resultsA total of 803 eligible data points were collected. Among the 53.5% of participants who scored 10 or more on the PHQ-9, 4.4% had sought help from a healthcare professional in Japan. A lower preference for coping on one's own, greater recognition of the effectiveness of help, greater ability to make work adjustments, and a higher level of Japanese language proficiency were related to greater intentions to seek help from a psychiatrist.

conclusionsMany Vietnamese migrant workers in Japan are unable to seek help from healthcare professionals for depressive symptoms. It may be beneficial to acknowledge not only linguistic barriers but also other related factors when planning strategies to enhance Vietnamese migrant workers' intentions to seek help from psychiatrists.

Indexed as

DepressionHelp-Seeking BehaviorIntentionPatient Acceptance of Health CareTransients and MigrantsAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansJapanMaleMiddle AgedPsychiatristsPsychiatrySoutheast Asian PeopleSurveys and QuestionnairesDepressionHelp seekingJapanVietnamese migrant workers

Identifiers

PMID39875905
PMCPMC11776139

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.