Dataset and codebook for: Healthcare avoidance predicted by psychological distress and healthcare system distrust mediated by health literacy

Healthcare avoidance is the willful delay or refusal of healthcare. Healthcare system distrust, health literacy, psychological distress, and internalized self-reliance have been found to correlate with healthcare avoidance. This study examined how these factors influence healthcare avoidance in a demographically disposed healthcare-avoidant sample. It was hypothesized that healthcare system distrust, health literacy, psychological distress, and internalized self-reliance would predict an individual's likelihood of avoiding healthcare. Health literacy was expected to mediate the relationship between healthcare system distrust and healthcare avoidance. A convenience sample of 349 participants was recruited from a southeastern university student population. Health literacy partially mediated the relationship between healthcare system distrust and psychological distress. Multiple linear regression produced a significant model, and only psychological distress and healthcare system distrust significantly predicted healthcare avoidance. The results suggest that public health advocates prioritize developing healthcare system trust and adjust outreach strategies to their population’s level of psychological distress.