Religiosity and folk beliefs: bridging spiritual beliefs and mental health help-seeking in rural Mexico

The present study examines associations between religiosity (public, private, and subjective), spirituality, folk illness beliefs, and mental health service utilisation, with willingness to seek help as a mediator. Survey data from adults in rural Mexico (N = 196) were analysed using mediation models in MPlus. Bootstrap analyses revealed two significant indirect effects of private religiosity on informal and formal service utilisation through willingness to seek help. In both cases, private religiosity was linked to lower willingness to seek formal help, yet remained directly and positively associated with service utilisation. For formal service utilisation, this produced a fully suppressed, nonsignificant total effect; for informal service utilisation, the total effect remained significant despite the opposing indirect pathway. Results highlight the complexity of religiosity's role in mental health help-seeking and underscore the need for culturally responsive interventions that account for competing pathways through which religious beliefs shape service engagement in underserved rural communities.