Clusters of Patient Empowerment and Mental Health Literacy Differentiate Professional Help-Seeking Attitudes in Online Mental Health Communities Users

Objectives: Grounded in the Health Empowerment Model, which posits that health literacy and patient empowerment are intertwined yet distinct constructs, this study investigates how the interplay of these factors influences attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help in members of online communities for mental health (OCMHs). This while acknowledging the multidimensionality of patient empowerment, encompassing meaningfulness, competence, self-determination, and impact. Design and Methods: A cluster analysis of data gathered from 269 members of Italian-speaking OCMHs on Facebook has been performed. Results: Four profiles have been identified: dangerous self-managers (11.2%), effective self-managers (21.2%), disempowered (40.5%) and ambivalent empowered (27.1%). Clusters provided meaningful variations in help-seeking attitudes, also when controlling for depression and anxiety severity, F_3, 265 = 11.910, p < 0.001. Conclusions: The findings provided further evidence of the multidimensionality of patient empowerment. Considering the results, we discussed potential interventions aimed at enhancing the quality of OCMHs, tailoring to the unique characteristics of each cluster. Patient or Public Contribution: Administrators and moderators of mental health Facebook communities—whether expert-led by mental health professionals or peers—played a key role in this study. They provided valuable insights during the questionnaire design process to ensure the questions were both relevant and appropriate for community members. These administrators and moderators also actively facilitated participant recruitment by creating and sharing posts, either video- or text-based, on community homepages. Furthermore, after completing the questionnaire, participants were encouraged to comment on the Facebook posts where the survey link was shared, mentioning that they participated and inviting other members to take part. This approach aimed to foster a sense of involvement and further promoted the survey within the community.