I have always found health psychology a very exciting field of study. Although this branch of psychology is rapidly expanding in the UK, it is relatively new in Malta and disappointingly enough, jobs for health psychologists are quite scarce on the Maltese islands.

Health and illness are overlapping concepts that exist along a continuum, with health being dominated by a positive physical, mental, social and emotional state while illness is often characterised by physical pain and lack of well-being. The job of health psychologists is to apply psychological research and methods to the promotion and maintenance of health, the prevention and management of illness, the psychological adjustment to disease, the identification of psychological factors contributing to physical illness, the improvement of the healthcare system and the formulation of health policies.

My interest in the field led me to pursue an MSc in Health Psychology in the UK. My research component was conducted in 2010 and consisted of investigating the relation between general self-efficacy (GSE), sensation-seeking and help-seeking behaviour for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among Maltese university students. It also sought to investigate whether gender and socio-economic status would influence help-seeking behaviour. For this study, a total of 150 participants were recruited.

GSE has a regulatory function in various health-related domains. It is the belief in one’s competence to deal with a broad range of stressful and challenging demands. A high sense of self-efficacy is related to stronger intentions to engage in health-related behaviour. Individuals with high self-efficacy are more efficient at selecting active coping strategies when solving problems, are more likely to stick to their goals and to recover after setbacks. They are also more likely to self-regulate their behaviour in such a way as to avoid situations that put their health at risk. Therefore, one factor that was being investigated was whether high scores on the GSE scale would result in an increased tendency to seek help in the eventuality of becoming infected with an STD.

I also decided to investigate whether there was a link between sensation-seeking and help-seeking behaviour for the same type of problem. Sensation-seeking refers to a desire for new and intense experiences. High sensation seekers (HSSs) have an intolerance for boredom, seeking varied and complex sensory sensations. In an attempt to satisfy their curiosity, to experience thrill or excitement, they are at an increased risk of engaging in behaviour that is detrimental to one’s health.

The latter include unsafe sexual practices. Nevertheless, results of the study revealed no significant association between the factors being investigated, with only three students (2.1%) claiming they had previously suffered from an STD at some point in their life. Two students had suffered from herpes and one had contracted human papillomavirus (HPV). All three had sought professional help for this problem.

Moreover, the majority of participants (85% of males and 89% of females) were confident in their ability to seek help should they encounter this problem in the future. This means that males and females did not differ in help-seeking behaviour. This result is encouraging since a positive attitude towards the available health services is the first step towards actively trying to restore one’s health.

It is indeed advantageous when individuals let physicians make the necessary healthcare decisions for them because getting a correct diagnosis increases one’s chances of complete recovery. On the other hand, postponing help-seeking behaviour only serves to aggravate problems, increase unnecessary pain and complications which are otherwise avoidable if treated early (Moore et al, 2004). It may also result in greater financial burdens to recovery.

I also found no difference in help-seeking behaviour for STDs among individuals of different socio-economic status. Nevertheless it is also true that intentions alone are not enough to predict behaviour, nor are they always translated into actions. Although no relation was found between GSE and help-seeking behaviour for STDs, it is possible that other factors not included in the study could have an impact on seeking appropriate and timely help.

These may include values, economic circumstances, social networks, shyness, stigma, religious beliefs, past encounters with doctors, perceived control over a situation or one’s background. Moreover, the potential of meeting acquaintances or familiar people in a local specialised health clinic is quite high and may delay help-seeking initiatives.

Results revealed that overall, males have higher general self-efficacy scores (Mean – 21.12) than their female counterparts (Mean – 17.03). Similar gender differences were observed on the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS). Table 1 (above) shows the gender differences on scores of SS. The mean score for males was 30.16 as compared to the mean female score which was 26.94. Possibly, GSE is related to socio-cultural learning. For instance, primary caregivers provide experiences that differentially influence children’s self-efficacy. Peers and the school environment can also serve as role models and raise observers’ self-efficacy beliefs. It is therefore possible that factors in the Maltese cultural milieu are partly responsible for the differences observed.

Since general self-efficacy and sensation-seeking both play a role in health behaviour, the need for interventions aimed to enhance general self-efficacy among students and to raise awareness of risks of sensation-seeking behaviours was identified.

The research work disclosed

in this publication was partially funded by the Malta Government Scholarship Scheme grant