The under-use of psychological services by Israeli Arabs: An examination of the roles of negative attitudes and the use of alternative sources of help

This article deals with the under-use of professional psychological services by the Arab population of the mixed Arab-Jewish town of Jaffa, Israel. In particular it examines the possible link between their attitudes towards psychological help-seeking and their use of alternative sources of help, on the one hand, and their use of professional psychological services, on the other. Findings suggest that professional help-seeking in this population is impeded not by negative attitudes but rather by the population's use of their traditional social support networks. Findings also reveal a striking disparity between the respondents' help-seeking attitudes and their actual behavior. Although their attitudes towards professional help-seeking were relatively positive while their attitudes towards seeking help from their traditional support networks (extended family and clergy) were highly negative, in practice they turned to their traditional support networks much more often than to professional services. The discussion offers possible explanations for these discrepancies.