Patterns of Confiding and Factors Influencing Mental Health Service Use in Older Adults

The present study was designed to examine factors that might influence older adults to seek out professional counseling and to ascertain differences in confidant preferences by gender and nature of confidence. Analyses were conducted on 206 community-dwelling older adults ranging in age from 57-98. While men were more likely to confide in a spouse, women chose friends and children, usually daughters, as their confidants. Serious illness of self and serious illness of spouse emerged as sensitive subject matter regarding nature of confidence as evidenced by analyses run on large numbers of missing data for these items. Only 8.3% of the sample reported having received professional counseling, although familiarity with mental health services surfaced as the variable most likely to influence the possibility of consultation. Older adults with either previous exposure to outpatient psychological treatment or who had friends or family members receiving treatment reported being familiar with mental health services. Elders perceived the experiences of friends or family members in treatment to be positive experiences, although the majority of older adults did not perceive their problems as serious enough to warrant professional intervention.