Table 3.
Barriers to care as perceived by men and women with depression and suicidality, N = 247, 78 men
| Variables | Total | Men | Women | p value* | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | n | % | ||
| 1. Structural barriers | |||||||
| It was too far away to get there | 14 | 5.7 | 1 | 1.3 | 13 | 7.7 | 0.071 |
| There was no transport available | 35 | 14.2 | 6 | 7.7 | 29 | 17.2 | 0.051 |
| I could not afford to pay the transport costs | 39 | 15.8 | 9 | 11.5 | 30 | 17.8 | 0.262 |
| I could not pay the fee at the health care centre | 42 | 17.0 | 10 | 12.8 | 32 | 18.9 | 0.277 |
| I have no insurance | 43 | 17.4 | 10 | 12.8 | 33 | 19.5 | 0.212 |
| Summary measure (at least exposed to one of the barriers) | 52 | 21.1 | 10 | 12.8 | 42 | 24.9 | 0.043 |
| 2. Individual barriers related to knowledge and attitudes | |||||||
| I did not know where to go for treatment | 29 | 11.7 | 4 | 5.1 | 25 | 14.8 | 0.033 |
| I was too embarrassed to discuss my problems with anyone | 28 | 11.3 | 7 | 9.0 | 21 | 12.4 | 0.520 |
| I did not believe that I would get proper treatment | 37 | 15.0 | 6 | 7.7 | 31 | 18.3 | 0.034 |
| I did not believe that treatment could help me | 34 | 13.8 | 5 | 6.4 | 29 | 17.2 | 0.028 |
| I thought my problem was one I should be able to cope with myself | 34 | 13.8 | 12 | 15.4 | 22 | 13.0 | 0.692 |
| I thought that the problem would disappear by itself | 28 | 11.3 | 14 | 17.9 | 14 | 8.3 | 0.032 |
| I was afraid of the consequences of seeking care (treatment, tests, hospitalization, operations…) | 15 | 6.1 | 4 | 5.1 | 11 | 6.5 | 0.781 |
| I did not want any help | 12 | 4.9 | 2 | 2.6 | 10 | 5.9 | 0.349 |
| I got help from another source | 26 | 10.5 | 7 | 9.0 | 19 | 11.2 | 0.662 |
| Other responsibility such as taking care of children/family members | 17 | 6.9 | 3 | 3.8 | 14 | 8.4 | 0.282 |
| Summary measure (at least exposed to one of the barriers) | 67 | 27.1 | 17 | 21.8 | 50 | 29.6 | 0.221 |
| 3. Stigma-related barriers | |||||||
| I was afraid that somebody I knew would see me at the health care clinic | 6 | 2.4 | 4 | 5.1 | 2 | 1.2 | 0.081 |
| I was ashamed to show others how emotionally troubled I was | 9 | 3.6 | 4 | 5.1 | 5 | 3.0 | 0.469 |
| I was afraid that the health care staff would have negative attitudes towards me | 11 | 4.5 | 5 | 6.4 | 6 | 3.6 | 0.331 |
| I was afraid to bring bad name to my family if I disclosed to health staff that I felt emotionally troubled | 11 | 4.5 | 5 | 6.4 | 6 | 3.6 | 0.331 |
| I did not trust that health staff will keep my problem confidential | 7 | 2.8 | 4 | 5.1 | 3 | 1.8 | 0.212 |
| Summary measure (at least exposed to one of the barriers) | 14 | 5.7 | 6 | 7.7 | 8 | 4.7 | 0.381 |
* p value signifies statistical difference between men and women