Treatment-seeking differences for mental health problems in male- and non-male-dominated occupations: evidence from the HILDA cohort

Background. There is a well-established gender divide among people who do and do not seek professional help from mental health professionals. Females are typically more likely to report, and seek help for, mental health problems. The current paper sought to examine the role of employment context on help-seeking for mental health issues. We hypothesised that men and women in male-dominated occupations would be less likely to seek help than those in non-male-dominated occupations. Methods. Data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey were used. Help-seeking, measured in 2013, was defined as whether a person reported attending a mental health professional in the 12 months prior to the survey. The exposure, male- and non-male-dominated occupations (measured in 2012), was defined using census data based on self-reported occupation. Analyses were stratified by gender and controlled for relevant confounders (measured in 2012), including mental health and prior help-seeking. We conducted multivariate logistic and propensity score analyses to improve exchangeability of those exposed and unexposed. Results. For males, being in a male-dominated occupation was independently associated with reduced likelihood of help-seeking (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.46-0.95) in the adjusted model, although this result fell just out of significance in the propensity score analysis. There was no independent effect of being in a male-/non-male-dominated occupation for help-seeking among women. Conclusions. Results suggest that male-dominated occupations may negatively influence help-seeking among males. There is a need for more research to understand this relationship and for workplace-based prevention initiatives.