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Barriers To Mental Health Service Use Among Palestinian-Arab Women In Israel: Psychological Distress As Moderator, Fareeda Abo-Rass, Sarah Abu-Kaf, Ora Nakash

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

Background: Many studies indicate that ethnic minority women, including women from the disadvantaged Palestinian-Arab minority in Israel, experience higher rates of psychological distress but are less likely to use mental health services. This study examined psychological distress and its role as a moderator in the relationship between mental health service use and stigma-related, attitudinal, and instrumental barriers. Method: Cross-sectional study of 146 Palestinian-Arab women who completed measures of psychological distress, mental health service use, the Barriers to Care Evaluation scale, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Participants who did not utilize mental health services reported higher levels of all barrier types compared …