Social Class and the Use of Professional Help for Personal Problems: 1957 and 1976

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Abstract
By comparing national survey data collected in 1957 and 1976, this paper assesses the stability of relationships between social class and the use of professional help for personal problems, examining the influence of education and income on: (a) problem definition, (b) the decision to seek help, and (c) the choice of a particular help source. In spite of a general increase in "readiness for self-referral" from 1957 to 1976 for the population as a whole, social class differences in defining a problem as relevant for professional help and in adopting a self-help position with regard to potential problems (both reported in 1957) generally persist in 1976. Among those who have identified a personal problem as relevant for help, however, social class differences in the actual use of help, apparent in 1957, have largely disappeared. Despite a marked increase in the use of mental health professionals in all socioeconomic strata, education and income differences in the use of psychiatrists and psychologists found in 1957 also generally persist in 1976, although the gap between high- and low-income groups appears to be narrowing. Although perceived psychological distress is found to play a major role in seeking help, differences in professional help-seeking by socioeconomic status are largely independent of reported symptom levels. These patterns of persistence and change are interpreted as reflecting differential changes in the influence of motivational versus facilitating factors, respectively.

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