Barriers and facilitators to seeking psychological support among healthcare professionals: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework

BackgroundDespite facing significant mental health risks, healthcare professionals often demonstrate a low frequency of seeking psychological support. This study aimed to explore the factors influencing healthcare professionals' psychological help-seeking behaviours in order to enhance the mental health of this critical population.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with registered clinical doctors, nurses, and hospital managers aged 21-55 years, recruited from comprehensive public hospitals in China. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling to ensure diversity in roles, specialities, and work experiences. The interview guide was developed using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to explore the reasons for seeking psychological support. Data were analyzed using framework analysis and relevant domains were identified according to the frequency of participants' belief statements. The facilitators and barriers in each domain were summarized using the coded reference points.ResultsA total of 34 participants were interviewed (12 nurses, 8 physicians, 14 hospital managers). We identified seven relevant domains in influencing the behaviour of seeking psychological support: knowledge, beliefs about capabilities, environmental context and resources, social/professional role and identity, emotion, social influences, and behavioural regulation. The most common facilitators of psychological help-seeking include accessible resources, positive interpersonal relationships, increased awareness, effective behavioural strategies, and emotional acknowledgement, while barriers include privacy concerns, stigma, time constraints, doubts about the effectiveness of psychological services, limited knowledge, and perceived professional role conflicts.ConclusionThe behaviour of healthcare professionals seeking psychological support is complex and influenced by the interaction of multiple factors. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions that enhance mental health literacy, address stigma, provide accessible psychological support resources, and cultivate a supportive organisational culture to improve their well-being.