Help-seeking and Mental Health Education: An Evaluation of a Classroom-based Strategy to Modify Help-seeking for Mental Health Problems

Help-seeking and Mental Health Education: An Evaluation of a Classroom-based Strategy to Modify Help-seeking for Mental Health Problems
Author: William Garry Sharp
Publisher:
Total Pages: 123
Release: 2006
Genre:
ISBN: 9780549092780

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College students often fail to seek help for incipient symptoms of mental illness and/or substance abuse, despite the fact that the majority of these students fall in the age range where the likelihood of developing a mental disorder is among the highest. Cited factors for the increased incidence of mental illness among college students include biological and maturational changes, adjustments to new ways of living, and exposure to new peer group behavior and its contributing pressures. This increased risk, combined with the general reluctance to seek help, makes identifying strategies to increase help-seeking behavior among college students of prime importance. Research indicates that one means to modify help-seeking is by increasing an individual's "mental health literacy" (i.e. knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders which help in the recognition, management, and prevention of mental illness). Within the domain of mental health literacy, stigma (i.e. negative, inaccurate, or culturally conflicting opinions about mental illness), low treatment expectations and fearfulness, and lack of knowledge regarding treatment options appear critical to modifying an individual's willingness to seek help. The current study sought to assess the impact that a brief, 45-minute psychoeducational intervention had on student's attitudes toward seeking help and overt help-seeking behavior. The content of the intervention focused on dispelling myths and stigmas often associated with mental illness, modifying expectations about psychotherapy efficacy, and providing students with information regarding treatment options. One hundred and eighty-one college students were randomly assigned to a computer education, classroom education, or control condition. Compared to students in the control condition, participant in the classroom condition showed significant improvements in their attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, as well as some of their opinions about mental illness, for up to one month following the intervention. A similar effect was not demonstrated in the computer group, suggesting that these improvements may be related to the method in which this information is presented. These finding suggest that the use of a brief, classroom-based mental health education program is a promising method to modify help-seeking attitudes and negative opinions of the mentally ill.

Treating and Preventing Adolescent Mental Health Disorders

Treating and Preventing Adolescent Mental Health Disorders
Author: Dwight L. Evans
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 921
Release: 2017
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 0199928169

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This volume reviews the latest information about the treatment and prevention of major mental disorders that emerge during adolescence. It should be a primary resource for both clinicians and researchers, with special attention to gaps in our knowledge.

Mental Health and Help-seeking Behaviors of International and US Students

Mental Health and Help-seeking Behaviors of International and US Students
Author: Sabita Shrestha
Publisher:
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2017
Genre: American students
ISBN:

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With the rise of the global market economy, higher education is a necessity for many students from the United States and around the world. Mental health is an important aspect of student's health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine mental health, especially psychological distress, help-seeking behaviors, and the influence of stigma on help-seeking behaviors among international and US students. The study utilized a descriptive, cross-sectional research design. Existing instruments: General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), General Help-seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ), and Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH) were adapted, and a demographic survey was developed for the study. The study used a non-random convenience sampling method. The sample (N = 752) consisted of international and the US students that were selected from the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Engineering, the College of Science, the College of Education and Human Services, the College of Agriculture, the College of Business, and the College of Applied Science and Arts. The survey was self-administered during the spring of 2016. The results found no significant differences with the total scores of mental health status (GHQ-12), the total scores of help-seeking (GHSQ) behaviors, and self-stigma (SSOSH) among international and US students. There was a statistically significant difference with the mean scores of GHQ-12 between gender, race/ethnicity, and religion groups of US students only. There was a statistically significant difference with the mean scores of GHSQ for the race/ethnicity group for international students; whereas for US students, there was a statistically significant difference for both race/ethnicity and religion groups. Self-stigma was found to be predictive of help-seeking behavior among the US students, and explained a significant proportion of variance in help-seeking mean score. Overall, international and the US students indicated having no psychological distress, however, help-seeking was a problem due to stigma. Therefore, resources tailored toward students should be provided, so that they feel comfortable seeking help for mental health problems. Health educators and mental health professionals should provide education, prevention, and intervention programs on campus in order to reduce the incidence of mental health issues and the stigma associated with mental illness. Health promotion and prevention education activities that focus on reducing stigma will most likely increase help-seeking behaviors among college students.

Predicting and Changing Behavior

Predicting and Changing Behavior
Author: Martin Fishbein
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 527
Release: 2011-02-14
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1136874739

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This book describes the reasoned action approach, an integrative framework for the prediction and change of human social behavior. It provides an up-to-date review of relevant research, discusses critical issues related to the reasoned action framework, and provides methodological and conceptual tools for the prediction and explanation of social behavior and for designing behavior change interventions.

Attitudes Towards Mental Health Help-Seeking and Stigma Among College Students

Attitudes Towards Mental Health Help-Seeking and Stigma Among College Students
Author: Mukul Khandelwal
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023
Genre: College students
ISBN:

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Mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and high levels of stress, are a frequent concern among college students (Duffy et al., 2019; Oswalt et al., 2020). However, rates for mental health help-seeking in college students are low (Marsh & Wilcoxon, 2015). Various factors contribute to low help-seeking behaviors, and these include psychological well-being, stigma, and demographic factors such as gender and age. This study explored the relationships between psychological well-being, attitudes towards help-seeking, and stigma towards receiving psychological help in a sample of 108 undergraduate students. Participants were mainly White (72%), female (68%), and heterosexual (71%). Results indicated a significant positive correlation between age and help-seeking. Non-White students endorsed higher levels of stigma towards receiving psychological help than White students. Age and stigma predicted attitudes towards help-seeking. Possible explanations are discussed and directions for future research are highlighted.

Promoting Behavioral Health and Reducing Risk among College Students

Promoting Behavioral Health and Reducing Risk among College Students
Author: M. Dolores Cimini
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2018-06-14
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1351707809

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Promoting Behavioral Health and Reducing Risk Among College Students synthesizes the large body of research on college students’ behavioral health and offers guidance on applying evidence-based prevention and early intervention strategies using a comprehensive public health framework. Chapters authored by leading researchers and practitioners address a broad spectrum of important behavioral health issues, interventions, and challenges. Moving beyond a theoretical discussion to strategies for implementation, this book addresses the special issues and potential barriers faced by practitioners as they translate research to practice, such as resource limitations, organizational resistance, challenges to program sustainability, and the unique needs of special populations. This cutting-edge compendium will appeal to both practitioners and researchers involved in providing prevention, early intervention, and treatment services for college students.

EUROHIS

EUROHIS
Author: A. Nosikov
Publisher: IOS Press
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2003
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9781586033224

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The EUROHIS project has focused on the comparability of health surveys and has uncovered some problems that arise when aiming to compare data from different countries. Similar problems of cross-cultural comparability also arise when comparing data from other sources, such as health registers, and are just as complex and difficult to tackle. One of the main advantages of health surveys, however, is the relatively low cost and time involved in adapting them according to the needs of health policy-makers. This work shows that the output from the EUROHIS project provides common instruments for the measurement of eight health indicators. The development of these instruments has required careful consideration of relevant common concepts and how these should be defined and operationalized. The instruments are freely available for use by all countries, with the aim of enhancing national health information systems and facilitating cross-national comparisons of health data.