| Kuang, Kai, Liu, Shujun and Chen, Runsen 2026. Mental health communication among sexual and gender minority groups in China: a longitudinal investigation of help-seeking intentions and behaviors. Health Communication 10.1080/10410236.2026.2670547 |
Abstract
Sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals are more susceptible to mental illness problems compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, yet they tend to not actively seek professional help due to a range of help-seeking barriers such as stigma and lack of social support. In this study, we drew on the seeking mental health care model to investigate the effects of knowledge, stigma, and social support, on help-seeking intentions and subsequent help-seeking behaviors. Analyses of four-wave longitudinal data collected from Chinese adults (n = 142) aged between 18 and 29 who identified as sexual and gender minorities showed that help-seeking knowledge and social support were positively associated with SGM individuals’ intentions to seek help for emotional problems and suicidal ideation, and with their actual help-seeking behaviors. Stigma was negatively associated with help-seeking intentions for emotional problem and suicidal ideation. Biological sex and ethnicity moderated the associations between knowledge and actual help-seeking behaviors. Findings offer theoretical contributions to understanding cognitive, relational, and cultural predictors of help-seeking for mental illness and practical implications for health communication initiatives aimed at promoting help-seeking among specific minority populations.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Published Online |
| Status: | In Press |
| Schools: | Schools > Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) |
| Publisher: | Taylor and Francis Group |
| ISSN: | 1041-0236 |
| Last Modified: | 18 May 2026 10:16 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/187043 |
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