Abstract
Objective: South Africa has a high prevalence of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among men, with research indicating that young men are less likely to seek help. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of AUDs and help-seeking behaviour for AUDs and to identify predictors of help-seeking behaviour for AUDs among young men (ages 18-35) in South Africa, in the past six months.
Methods: This study is a secondary data analysis study. Information for the primary study was obtained from three provinces (Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and North West) through a household survey to assess demographic characteristics, alcohol use, stigma, barriers to treatment, problem recognition, community factors, masculinity norms, social support and help-seeking behaviour. There were 833 male participants in the study, with their ages ranging from 18 to 35 years.
Results: There was a prevalence of 45.7% of men who had used alcohol and 29.2% who had AUDs, with only 5.3% having sought treatment in the past six months. The bivariate/multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that age, problem recognition, support from a significant other, and severity of alcohol consumption were significant predictors of help-seeking behaviour for AUDs. Variables that were not significant predictors were: stigma, barriers to treatment, community factors, and masculinity norms.
Conclusion: The results show a high prevalence of AUDs and low help-seeking behaviour for AUDs among young men in SA communities. These results highlight the importance of further exploration into help-seeking behaviour for AUDs among young men.
Keywords: Help-seeking behaviour, alcohol use disorder, prevalence, South Africa, young men, predictors