scholarly journals Factors influencing help-seeking : university students' responses to mental health stigma

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Perna
2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (03) ◽  
pp. 152-157
Author(s):  
A. O. Berg ◽  
K. Leopold ◽  
S. Zarafonitis-Müller ◽  
M. Nerhus ◽  
L. H. Stouten ◽  
...  

Summary Background: Immigrants have increased risk of a poor recovery from first episode psychosis (FEP). Early treatment can improve prognosis, but having an immigrant background may influence pathways to care. Method: We present research of service use and factors influencing treatment outcome in immigrants with FEP. Service use was assessed in in-patients at an early intervention center in Berlin, Germany. Duration of untreated psychosis and beliefs about illness was assessed in a FEP study in Oslo, Norway and cognitive functioning in patients with FEP schizophrenia from the regular mental health services in The Hague, the Netherlands. The proportion of immigrants in Berlin and Oslo was at level with the local populations, while the proportion in The Hague appeared to be higher. Result: There were clear indications that mental health literacy, probably based in different cultural expectations, were lower in first generation immigrants (FGI). Findings regarding clinical insight were ambiguous. There were also indications that FGI had more cognitive problems, based in higher stress levels or in cognitive styles. Early psychosis services must take issues of immigration and ethnicity into consideration.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micaela Di Consiglio ◽  
Sheila Merola ◽  
Tiziana Pascucci ◽  
Cristiano Violani ◽  
Alessandro Couyoumdjian

BACKGROUND To reduce the spread of Covid-19 the Italian government imposed a rigid lockdown and, for a whole year, it kept declaring stringent rules to curb the community spread. The pandemic had a great negative impact on general population mental health, including the one of university students. OBJECTIVE The study provides an overview about symptomatology and help-seeking behavior of university students before and during the Covid-19 pandemic and it aims to evaluate the impact of the different phases of the pandemic on students' mental health. METHODS We collected data in four time points: (1) March 2019-February 2020, (2) March-May 2020, (3) October-December 2020, (4) January 2020-March 2021. A total of 454 students have been included in the study. Students answered a socio-demographic questionnaire and a standardized questionnaire to evaluate a broad range of symptoms of psychopathology. Descriptive analyses have been conducted to explore student’s symptomatology and help-seeking behavior. Considering the significant gender-difference distribution between groups, groups comparison analysis has been conducted considering male and female separately. RESULTS Considering the total sample size, results suggest that students have experienced moderate to severe levels of depressive, obsessive-compulsive and anxiety symptomatology. About 14% of the sample met criteria for at least one mental health disorders, but most of them were not receiving mental health care. Moreover, during the lockdown, compared with other phases, female students reported worse symptoms in the following dimension: obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, paranoid ideation and psychoticism. The increasing symptomatology quickly disappeared after the lifting of the quarantine. Results showed any difference in the male groups. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the view of a negative mental health condition of university students and indicate an increase of symptomatology during the lockdown among female students. Preventive and support strategies should be improved in the university context.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-75
Author(s):  
Sala Uddin Ahmmed ◽  
Amima Najnin Maria

COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency of international agony and poses a significant mental health threat among university students in Bangladesh. This study aims to explore the factors influencing the anxiety level of the students graduating into this pandemic. An online study was conducted and we sampled final year university students from Hamdard University Bangladesh by using convenience sampling. They responded to a questionnaire packet that included the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and those inquiring about the respondents’ demographic and other relevant information. Results indicated that 13.46% of the students were experiencing severe anxiety. Furthermore, living in urban areas (OR = 3.12, 95% CI = 0.95 – 10. 16), being poor (OR = 34. 11, 95% CI = 2.52 – 461.67) and having relatives or acquaintances infected with COVID-19 (OR = 3.21, 95% CI = 0.06 – 0.69) were risk factors for anxiety. Conversely, living with parents (OR = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.02 – 0.63) was a protective factor against the anxiety of university finalists. Also, results of correlation analysis indicated that academic delays worry about finding a job, financial condition and influence on daily life were positively related to the level of anxiety symptoms (P < 0.05), whereas social support, was negatively correlated with their anxiety (P > 0.05). It is recommended that the mental health of students graduating amid this pandemic should be monitored to provide crisisoriented mental services to alleviate the anxiousness of the university finalists.


Author(s):  
Shirley Alleyne ◽  
Carmen R. Smotherman ◽  
Shiva Gautam ◽  
Katryne Lukens-Bull ◽  
Elise M. Fallucco

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-319
Author(s):  
Paul Gorczynski ◽  
Wendy Sims-Schouten ◽  
Clare Wilson

Purpose Despite a high prevalence of mental health problems, few students know where to turn for support. The purpose of this study was to gain a UK wide perspective on levels of mental health literacy amongst university students and to examine the relationship between mental health literacy and mental health help-seeking behaviours. Design/methodology/approach A total of 300 university students in the UK participated in this online cross-sectional study. Participants filled out the mental health literacy scale, the general help-seeking questionnaire, Kessler psychological distress scale 10, The Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale and the self-compassion scale: short form. Findings Overall, 78 per cent of participants indicated mild or more severe symptoms of distress. Students reported lower levels of mental health literacy when compared to students in other nations. Women, bisexuals, and those with a history of mental disorders indicated high levels of mental health literacy. Participants indicated they were most likely to seek support from intimate partners and least likely to seek support from religious leaders. No significant correlations were found between mental health literacy and help-seeking behaviours. Mental health literacy was not correlated with distress, mental well-being or self-compassion. Help-seeking behaviours were only significantly positively correlated with mental well-being. Originality/value Universities should address strategies to improve help-seeking behaviours in an effort to address overall mental well-being. Programmes may wish to help provide students with information about accessing face-to-face support systems. Environmental strategies to foster mental well-being on campus should also be explored.


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