Author : Kyle E. Chang
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781267651167
Total Pages : 156 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (511 download)
Book Synopsis An Intervention to Increase Counseling Service Usage Among Female College Students by : Kyle E. Chang
Download or read book An Intervention to Increase Counseling Service Usage Among Female College Students written by Kyle E. Chang and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research has shown that although many college students experience depression, most do not seek professional help from available mental health services. The current study uses the Theory of Planned Behavior (Azjen, 1988; 1991) as a model for changing attitudes toward seeking mental health help as well as increasing mental health counseling usage. The Theory of Planned Behavior posits that the best predictor of behavior is one's intention to do that behavior, which is in turn predicted by personal attitudes toward that behavior, what important others think of that behavior, and one's perceived self-efficacy to perform that behavior. For the current study, college students were asked to complete a short online questionnaire that included questions on attitudes and behavior concerning professional mental health services, depression, culture, and demographic information. After a week, participants were randomly assigned to either a control or experimental condition. Participants in the experimental condition watched a short film on going to the counseling center that was based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Participants in the control condition watched a short film on an unrelated topic. After the film, all participants completed a questionnaire regarding attitudes and behavior concerning professional mental health services and depression. After four weeks, participants were asked to complete a follow-up survey online about attitudes and behavior concerning professional mental health services and depression. Results from the current study do not support the use of the Theory of Planned Behavior as a model for predicting professional mental health service seeking. The intervention was found to be effective in changing attitudes, but was unsuccessful in changing behavior. Implications and suggestions for improving interventions that seek to increase professional mental health services utilization are provided in the discussion.