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McKay Doherty, Roisin (2025) Investigating the Relationship Between Loneliness and Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviour. Undergraduate thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.
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Abstract
Aims: The present study sought to explore the relationship between loneliness and help-seeking within the general population and hypothesised a significant correlation. This study compared differences of help-seeking between men and women and hypothesised that women are more likely to seek help. Lastly this study also investigated how age, gender and perceived social support predicted help-seeking and hypothesised that these would be significant predictors of help-seeking. Research has shown the profound harmful effects that loneliness can have on overall health. Therefore, the present study sought to analyse the role that help-seeking can have to mitigate loneliness.
Method: A survey was administered to participants (n=103), and they were recruited online via social media, and messaging platforms. This survey consisted of demographic questions of age and gender, the Revised UCLA Loneliness scale was used to analyse loneliness and social isolation, The General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ) was used as a self-report measure to investigate future help seeking intentions. The Multidimensional Survey of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was used to examine levels of support from family, friends and significant others.
Results: Findings did not identify a statistically significant correlation between loneliness and help seeking. Follow up independent t-tests found that women show significantly higher levels of help-seeking compared to men. Findings from the multiple regression analysis found that the model explained 29.9% of variance in help seeking and that perceived social support, but not age or gender, was significantly predictive of help-seeking.
Conclusion: This study challenges the idea that lonely individuals will naturally seek help and suggests clinical implications aimed at more proactive outreach rather than waiting for individuals to seek-help.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Undergraduate) |
|---|---|
| Supervisors: | Name Email Murphy, Cassandra UNSPECIFIED |
| Subjects: | B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA790 Mental Health |
| Divisions: | School of Business (- 2025) > BA (Honours) in Psychology |
| Depositing User: | Ciara O'Brien |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Nov 2025 11:48 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Nov 2025 11:48 |
| URI: | https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/8903 |
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