Effects of middle-aged men’s social perceptions on health-related help-seeking behaviors: A focus on social trust, perceptions of social conflict, and social fairness

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of middle-aged men’s social perceptions on health-related help-seeking behaviors. Methods: Analyses were based on the responses of 898 men, aged 45–64 years, from the 2022 Korean Consciousness and Value Survey. Multinominal and binomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze the effects of social perceptions (social trust, perception of social conflict, and social fairness) on health-related help-seeking behaviors (informal, formal, and no help). Results: The findings indicated that social trust, social conflict, and social fairness had statistically significant effects on health-related help-seeking behaviors among middle-aged men with varying effects depending on the type of their help-seeking behavior. Conclusion: From the perspective of the social determinants of health, interventions considering social perceptions (social trust, social conflict, and social fairness) are necessary to encourage middle-aged men to seek help for their health-related problems. Such interventions should be aimed at expanding access to both formal and informal resources.