Los prejuicios existentes en relación con la atención psicológica y como interfieren en el proceso de cuidado de la salud mental en usuarios que acuden a un centro de atención de salud privado de la ciudad de Quito en el año 2024

Abstract

The following research focuses on describing the existing prejudices around psychological care and how they affect the treatment and care of mental health. Prejudices influence people's attitudes and behaviors towards seeking and using psychological care services. The intention is to highlight the importance of the social context and the processes involved in the construction of prejudice around psychological care. The study explains whether barriers related to seeking psychological care affect the overall care of mental health, considering aspects such as sex, age, and educational level. It explores users' perceptions of psychological care and seeking professional help, also taking into account the economic factor. The research was conducted from a quantitative approach, and its scope is exploratory. The sample consisted of users attending a private health center in the city of Quito, and it was random as the users had the same probability of being surveyed. The scale used to measure attitudes towards seeking psychological help (ATSPPH-S) was employed, where it was observed that there are prejudices around psychological care linked to the users' educational level and economic status, which significantly affects their willingness to seek professional help.