Abstract
This study explores the presence of mental health challenges and related service utilization among MSM in China. An online cross-sectional survey recruited 520 MSM in Guangdong, China, to evaluate the participants’ psychiatric symptoms, service fulfillment, and challenges. A high proportion of the participants experienced at least one psychiatric symptom in the past year, but less than half of their mental health service needs were fulfilled. The preferred agencies for mental health services were provincial and city-level general hospitals or primary health centers. Lack of knowledge and misconceptions of mental health services were the primary reasons for not receiving necessary services. Mental health service fulfillment was associated with younger age, lower education, higher income, local residency, cohabitation, and disclosure of MSM status. The high rate of mental health issues and gaps in service seeking indicates an urgent need to increase mental health awareness among MSM.
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Acknowledgements
We thank our colleagues from Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention and “Guang Tong” Community-Based Organization who provided assistance that greatly contributed to the research. This study was supported by the UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention, and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) 2018–2019 Mentored Pilot Grant. CHIPTS was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number (P30MH058107). We thank our colleagues from Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention and “Guang Tong” Community-Based Organization who provided assistance that greatly contributed to the research.
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CL conceptualized the study, conducted data analysis, and drafted the manuscript. LL and YL contributed to the study design and result interpretation. Material preparation and data collection were performed by JL and XF. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Lin, C., Li, L., Liu, J. et al. Mental Health Services for Men Who Have Sex with Men in China. Community Ment Health J 57, 380–386 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-020-00660-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-020-00660-1