An Exploration of the Help-Seeking Behaviors of Arab-Muslims in the US: A Socio-ecological Approach

While evidence has shown that professional mental health services are highly effective with treatment and symptom management, not all who need those services utilize them. Furthermore, there is evidence that certain racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious groups are less likely to seek or access mental health care. The Arab Muslim minority living in the US have low rates of seeking mental health services compared to other populations. An exploratory, qualitative study was conducted to understand the help-seeking behaviors of the Arab Muslim minority in the greater Boston area. This study was conducted in order better understand help-seeking behaviors of Arab Muslims in the United States; to understand the perception they hold about mental illness, its causes, and its treatments; and to identify some of the potential hindrances and facilitators of seeking formal mental health treatment. Seventeen individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with Arab Muslim laypersons, mental health professionals, and imams living in the US. Utilizing a socio-ecological approach, the study results identified factors, such as stigma and social support, that influenced help-seeking behaviors of Muslim individuals at multiple levels including the individual, interpersonal, and community level, as well as the larger environment. In addition, the study identified factors, such as information and societal norms, that cut across these levels, and help us to understand help-seeking behaviors and patterns.