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Men with quality patient-doctor relationships more likely to seek treatment for depression
Men with positive perceptions of their relationship with their family physician may be more likely to choose active treatment for depression, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.
“The present study sought to examine the relationship between men’s experience of primary care — specifically, the quality of the patient-doctor relationship — and the hypothetical preference for one of three active treatment choices for depression, as opposed to a wait-and-see/no-treatment option,” David Kealy, PhD, of the department of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues wrote. “Overall, the degree to which men were likely to opt for pharmacotherapy or individual psychotherapy (compared with no treatment) was significantly associated with the depth of their relationship with their family physician.”
Researchers conducted a cross-Canada online survey of 1,000 men (mean age, 49.6 years; 819 with a regular family physician). The survey included questions related to primary care experience, current depressive symptoms and some demographic items. Respondents chose from four hypothetical treatment preferences for depression: medication for 6 months, individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, or no treatment/wait-and-see.
Researchers evaluated the quality of men’s relationship with their family physician with the overall score of the Patient-Doctor Depth-of-Relationship Scale, which consisted of eight items to measure patients’ perceptions of the depth and quality of the relationship. Current depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.
Survey results indicated that 65% of men with a family physician would pursue treatment if they had depression.
After controlling for age, employment, education level and current depressive symptoms, researchers found that positive perceptions of the patient-doctor relationship were associated with men being more likely to choose either pharmacotherapy (n = 183; OR = 1.06; P < .001) or individual psychotherapy (n = 277; OR = 1.04; P < .001), compared with the wait-and-see/no treatment approach (n = 285).
“This finding underscores the value of the patient-doctor relationship in potentially facilitating men’s uptake of active treatment for depression,” the researchers wrote. “Thus, while strategies to mitigate stigma and adherence to traditional masculinity norms remain important, attention should be devoted to encouraging and facilitating the continuity of men’s engagement in primary care.” – by Melissa J. Webb
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.