Sources of preferred help and association with current psychological distress.
| Not distressed | Mild-to moderate distress | Moderate-to-severe distress | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of helpa | Total, n = 1357 (%) | GHQ score, 0–2, n = 725 (53.4%) | GHQ score, 3–6, n = 343 (25.3%) | ORb (95% CI) | GHQ score ≥7, n = 289 (21.3%) | ORb (95% CI) |
| Professional source helpa, these included: | ||||||
| Advice from GP or nurse | 457 (33.7) | 240 (33.1) | 114 (33.2) | 1.02 (0.86 to 1.21) | 103 (35.6) | 1.20 (0.87 to 1.66) |
| Talking therapy | 388 (28.6) | 156 (21.5) | 91 (26.5) | 1.34 (1.04 to 1.71) | 141 (48.8) | 3.43 (2.85 to 4.14) |
| Tablets from your doctor | 146 (10.8) | 57 (7.9) | 32 (9.3) | 1.22 (0.95 to 1.57) | 57 (19.7) | 3.07 (2.00 to 4.71) |
| Alternative source helpa, these included: | ||||||
| Talk to family or friend | 795 (58.6) | 484 (66.8) | 193 (56.3) | 0.61 (0.52 to 0.70) | 118 (40.8) | 0.33 (0.25 to 0.45) |
| Relaxation exercises or yoga | 390 (28.7) | 201 (27.7) | 106 (30.9) | 1.08 (0.88 to 1.33) | 83 (28.7) | 0.93 (0.67 to 1.29) |
| Exercise, sport, or hobby | 371 (27.3) | 195 (26.9) | 100 (29.2) | 1.09 (0.81 to 1.46) | 76 (26.3) | 0.85 (0.61 to 1.19) |
| Massage or aromatherapy | 299 (22.0) | 113 (15.6) | 103 (30.0) | 2.25 (1.84 to 2.75) | 83 (28.7) | 1.80 (1.49 to 2.17) |
| Religious or spiritual support | 150 (11.1) | 75 (10.3) | 43 (12.5) | 1.22 (0.85 to 1.76) | 32 (11.1) | 1.04 (0.70 to 1.55) |
| Herbal/homeopathic medicine | 140 (10.3) | 68 (9.4) | 34 (9.9) | 0.96 (0.61 to 1.52) | 38 (13.2) | 1.30 (1.12 to 1.50) |
| Self-help — leaflet or book | 102 (7.5) | 60 (8.3) | 16 (4.7) | 0.50 (0.35 to 0.70) | 26 (9.0) | 1.09 (0.72 to 1.64) |
| Self-help — internet/computer | 70 (5.2) | 35 (4.8) | 19 (5.5) | 1.21 (0.68 to 2.18) | 16 (5.5) | 1.20 (0.76 to 1.93) |
| Support group | 52 (3.8) | 22 (3.0) | 6 (1.8) | 0.59 (0.15 to 2.27) | 24 (8.3) | 3.07 (1.72 to 5.47) |
| No source help identified | 82 (6.0) | 50 (6.9) | 24 (7.0) | 1.06 (0.54 to 2.09) | 8 (2.7) | 0.44 (0.23 to 0.84) |