Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Feb 19, 2021
Date Accepted: Jul 5, 2021
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
The Association Between Mental Health Problems And Attitudes Towards Online Health and Social Care Services: Evidence From a Finnish Population-Based Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
The significance of online health and social care services has been highlighted in recent years. There is a risk that the digitalization of public services will reinforce the digital and social exclusion of vulnerable groups such as individuals with mental health problems
Objective:
We examined the association between mental health problems and attitudes towards online health and social care services in the general population. The attitudes measured were lack of interest, perceived need for face-to-face encounters, and concern for safety. We also tested whether sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, education level and poverty) modify the associations.
Methods:
Cross-sectional population-based data were collected from 4495 Finnish adults in 2017. Linear regression was used to examine the main effects and interactions of poor mental health and sociodemographic characteristics on attitudes towards online health and social care services.
Results:
The study shows that mental health is associated with attitudes towards online health and social care services. Individuals with mental health problems were especially concerned about the safety of online services. Poor mental health was independently associated with negative attitudes towards online services over the effects of sociodemographic factors. Some of the associations between poor mental health and negative attitudes towards online services were stronger among older people and men. With regard to sociodemographic characteristics, particularly higher age, low education and poverty were associated with negative attitudes towards online health and social care services.
Conclusions:
Poor mental health is associated with negative attitudes towards online health and social care services, and thus indirectly with exclusion. It seems that older age and male gender reinforces the link between poor mental health and exclusion. In supporting the digital inclusion of people with mental health problems, attention should be paid to guidance and counselling, reliability and the user-friendliness of online services, as well as to the prevention of poverty. In addition, it is essential to see online services as complementary to, and not a substitute for, face-to-face services.
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Copyright
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