Psychological help-seeking behaviours amongst those living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease; A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study

Aim: To explore the help-seeking preferences and behaviours of those living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease for negative emotions. Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study. Methods: The sample consisted of 376 individuals living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected via a questionnaire comprising both researcher-developed items and a validated patient-reported outcome measure. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including correlational and regression analysis were used for quantitative data. Qualitative latent content and count analysis was carried out on the textual data from open-ended survey items. Results: Participants reported moderately high intentions to seek help for negative emotions related to their Inflammatory Bowel Disease (M = 4.86, SD = 1.80), yet 59.8% had not done so despite experience such emotions. Prior help-seeking was reported by 45%, and 18.6% were currently receiving support. Regression analysis showed that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control explained 55.5% of the variance in behavioural intention, with subjective norms and attitudes as significant predictors. Previous help-seeking experience and surgical history were linked to greater intention to seek help, in addition to diagnosis, with individuals living with Crohn’s Disease reported significantly higher help-seeking intentions than those with Ulcerative Colitis. Common barriers included lack of service awareness, wanting to solve the problem independently, and stigma. Participants strongly value accessible, affordable, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease-informed psychological support, integrated within routine Inflammatory Bowel Disease care and complemented by peer and community resources. Conclusion: The findings underscore the need for routine assessment of the psychological impact of living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, timely referral to mental health services, and the integration of psychological care within standard Inflammatory Bowel Disease pathways. Implementing these changes is essential to delivering equitable, patient-centred care. The findings provide behavioural insight into factors associated with seeking help for negative emotions related to Inflammatory Bowel Disease and add to the growing body of literature emphasising the relevance of viewing psychological wellbeing as an important component of Inflammatory Bowel Disease care.