scholarly journals PREVALENCE, ASSOCIATED FACTORS, AND HELP SEEKING BEHAVIOR RELATED TO PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AMONG INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-223
Author(s):  
Aniza Ismail ◽  
Khadiga Mohsen Kahwa
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
International Students ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Help Seeking Behavior ◽  
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Depression, anxiety, and stress are associated with decreased role functioning, productivity, and quality of life. International students are more prone to psychological distress as they face many stressors while studying abroad. The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence and associated factors of depression, anxiety, and stress among international students, their help-seeking behavior and their awareness of the available on-campus mental support services. A cross-sectional study with a purposive sampling method was performed on 280 international students at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) between the age of 18 and 35 years. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) questionnaire was used anonymously to assess the mental health of students. Soci-demographic, help-seeking behavior, and awareness data were obtained. Independent sample t-test, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test, and Multiple Linear Regression were used to explore associated factors. The overall prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among international students was 58.9%, 71.8%, and 53.9% respectively. Age was significantly associated with depression and anxiety. Ethnicity showed a significant association with depression and stress. No other factors were found to be significantly associated with psychological distress. Only 9.6% of the international students had sought help from on-campus mental support services. Students who were aware of the presence of such services were only 21.4% of the participants. In conclusion, the recent study showed a high prevalence of psychological distress and low help-seeking behavior among international students in Malaysia. This provided data that could be used in intervention programs to improve the mental health of the increasing number of international students in Malaysia.

scholarly journals PERCEIVED STIGMATIZATION, SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, AND MENTAL HEALTH HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIORS AMONG PSYCHIATRIC OUTPATIENTS ATTENDING A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ifeanyichukwu Anthony Ogueji ◽  
Taiye Emmanuel Ojo ◽  
Taiwo Nurudeen Gidado
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Help Seeking Behavior ◽  
Psychiatric Outpatients ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Help Seeking Behaviors ◽  
Seeking Behavior

ABSTRACTObjectiveAmong the general population of patients with mental illness is a sub-population (psychiatric outpatients) who often encounter limited mental health help-seeking behaviors due to many unknown factors. Therefore, this study aimed to explore some predictors of mental health help-seeking behaviors among psychiatric outpatients.DesignThis cross-sectional study accidentally recruited 42 psychiatric outpatients receiving treatment at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos State, Nigeria. Their mean age was 27.03±7.05 years (age range = 18-48 years). Data was collected using standardized questionnaire, and analyzed using SPSS (v. 22). Statistical significance set at p<.05.ResultsThe first finding showed a positive but not significant relationship between perceived stigmatization and mental health help-seeking behavior. Second showed that gender had no significant influence on mental health help-seeking behavior. Third showed that age had a positive but not significant relationship with mental health help-seeking behavior. Last finding submitted that clinical diagnosis, religious affiliation, marital status, and educational qualification had a significant joint prediction on mental health help-seeking behaviour, with 28% variance explained. Only religious affiliation had a significant independent prediction.ConclusionOur findings have practical implications for enhancing mental health help-seeking behavior and strengthening an interdisciplinary approach to mental health care.

With A Little Help From My Friends: A Mixed Methods Study Of Psychological Distress And Help-Seeking Preferences Of Chinese International Students At Victoria University Of Wellington

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kelly Atherton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
International Students ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Free Text

<p>Chinese international students have become an increasingly significant presence on tertiary campuses worldwide, with over 928,000 enrolled globally in higher education in 2017. The mental health of tertiary students has been recognised as a significant public health concern and the unique challenges faced by Chinese international students place them at higher risk of mental distress than domestic or other international students. However, there is a scarcity of literature focussing on the mental health of Chinese international students both internationally and in a New Zealand context. This study was undertaken to gather preliminary data on the existence and prevalence of psychological distress among Chinese international students at Victoria University of Wellington. It also investigated the help-seeking preferences of Chinese international students, their engagement with counselling services or barriers preventing engagement with counselling support, and their knowledge and use of additional university support services. Participants’ views on managing stress and their advice for newly arrived Chinese students were also explored. A mixed methods approach was utilised to gather both quantitative and qualitative data via an online survey, utilising the Kessler-10 to measure psychological distress in conjunction with a variety of categorical and free-text response questions to gather other information. The survey was sent to all Chinese international students at Victoria University of Wellington in 2017. A total of 205 Chinese international students responded to the survey, from 836 enrolled students (response rate 24.5%). Results indicate that the majority of the Chinese international student population at Victoria suffer from high levels of psychological distress (K10=23.33, SD=6.97). These results are comparable with studies of Chinese students who study abroad, or in their home country. Consistent with international research, participants preferred to use informal sources of support, most notably their parents and friends when stressed. They rated academic staff and student services as the supports they would be least likely to turn to when stressed. Despite the high levels of psychological distress reported, very few participants had sought formal mental health support, with only 12.3% of the sample accessing Student Counselling while studying at Victoria. Cultural and practical barriers impacted their decision to utilise the service and they provided recommendations to make the service better known amongst the student group to improve uptake. Participants’ advice to new Chinese students included getting involved, developing friendships with fellow students, improving English proficiency, and asking for help when needed. The findings from this study support the growing body of literature that Chinese international tertiary students are in need of additional culturally appropriate interventions throughout their university journey to improve their wellbeing, their awareness and use of support services, and to aid their integration to both their host country and education environment.</p>

With A Little Help From My Friends: A Mixed Methods Study Of Psychological Distress And Help-Seeking Preferences Of Chinese International Students At Victoria University Of Wellington

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kelly Atherton
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
International Students ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Chinese International Students ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Free Text

<p>Chinese international students have become an increasingly significant presence on tertiary campuses worldwide, with over 928,000 enrolled globally in higher education in 2017. The mental health of tertiary students has been recognised as a significant public health concern and the unique challenges faced by Chinese international students place them at higher risk of mental distress than domestic or other international students. However, there is a scarcity of literature focussing on the mental health of Chinese international students both internationally and in a New Zealand context. This study was undertaken to gather preliminary data on the existence and prevalence of psychological distress among Chinese international students at Victoria University of Wellington. It also investigated the help-seeking preferences of Chinese international students, their engagement with counselling services or barriers preventing engagement with counselling support, and their knowledge and use of additional university support services. Participants’ views on managing stress and their advice for newly arrived Chinese students were also explored. A mixed methods approach was utilised to gather both quantitative and qualitative data via an online survey, utilising the Kessler-10 to measure psychological distress in conjunction with a variety of categorical and free-text response questions to gather other information. The survey was sent to all Chinese international students at Victoria University of Wellington in 2017. A total of 205 Chinese international students responded to the survey, from 836 enrolled students (response rate 24.5%). Results indicate that the majority of the Chinese international student population at Victoria suffer from high levels of psychological distress (K10=23.33, SD=6.97). These results are comparable with studies of Chinese students who study abroad, or in their home country. Consistent with international research, participants preferred to use informal sources of support, most notably their parents and friends when stressed. They rated academic staff and student services as the supports they would be least likely to turn to when stressed. Despite the high levels of psychological distress reported, very few participants had sought formal mental health support, with only 12.3% of the sample accessing Student Counselling while studying at Victoria. Cultural and practical barriers impacted their decision to utilise the service and they provided recommendations to make the service better known amongst the student group to improve uptake. Participants’ advice to new Chinese students included getting involved, developing friendships with fellow students, improving English proficiency, and asking for help when needed. The findings from this study support the growing body of literature that Chinese international tertiary students are in need of additional culturally appropriate interventions throughout their university journey to improve their wellbeing, their awareness and use of support services, and to aid their integration to both their host country and education environment.</p>

Prevalence of Mental Health Problems and Help-Seeking Behavior in a Hispanic-Serving Institution

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiu-Lan Cheng ◽  
Richard Martinez ◽  
Jessica L. Jackson ◽  
Casey N. Durham ◽  
Jill K. Peters ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Help Seeking Behavior ◽  
Hispanic Serving Institution ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Hispanic Serving

Influence of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Nurses dealing with COVID-19 Patients (A Study on Nurses within Karachi)

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 1200-1204
Author(s):  
U. Amen ◽  
Z. Rajwani ◽  
U. Sumayya ◽  
R. Haroon ◽  
N. Mushtaq ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Preventive Intervention ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Moderate Depression ◽  
Study Results ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Severe Anxiety

Background: Globally Corona virus (COVID-19) has become a huge challenge for all of the population. In South Asia, country Pakistan city Karachi the 1st case of this breakdown was identified on 26th February 2020 (Waris et al., 2020). This disease has developed psychological distress among all the population. COVID virus is one of the leading threats to all the healthcare organizations and due to increase rate of patients day by day, it has given enormous burden to all healthcare workers especially nurses the front line fighters who are always ready to give care towards the patient whom they encountered so it’s very crucial part to assess the impact of COVID -19 on the mental health of the nurses. Objective: The objective of the study is to identify the frequency level of stress, anxiety and depression among nurses while dealing with those patients who were admitted in various hospitals in Karachi for treatment of COVID-19. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 20th November to 31st December 2020 from different hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Those Registered nurses who were assigned in isolation ward of Covid-19 were the part of the study. For data collection survey form was designed based on Depression Anxiety Stress scale (DASS-21) scale (Lovibond & Lovibond 1995). Results: The total mean score of depression among nurses was 50 (68%), Anxiety was 32 (43%) and stress was 34 (46%). 50 nurses suffered from moderate depression, 24 nurses reported from extremely severe anxiety and 50 nurses suffered from moderate stress level. From 74 participants 41(55.4%) were females and 33 (44.6%) were males. Furthermore, it shows that 25 (76%) males and 25 (61%) females suffered from moderate depression, 32 nurses 14 (42%) male and 18(43.90%) females reported from extremely severe anxiety. Conclusion: This pandemic is highly complex, contagious and vulnerable. The study results portrait that nurses working with COVID-19 patients have affected a lot of various psychological distress such as anxiety, stress, and depression. It is very vital for higher management to take major steps and take preventive intervention which would be beneficial towards their mental health in decreasing negative psychological outcomes, because they all are working under pressure environment. Key Words: Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Pandemic, Registered Nurse

The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on mental health and help-seeking behavior among Italian university students. A descriptive and cross-sectional study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micaela Di Consiglio ◽  
Sheila Merola ◽  
Tiziana Pascucci ◽  
Cristiano Violani ◽  
Alessandro Couyoumdjian
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Help Seeking Behavior ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Paranoid Ideation ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Impact

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.

scholarly journals Exploring the Effectiveness of an Integrated Mixed Martial Arts and Psychotherapy Intervention for Young Men’s Mental Health

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 155798831983212 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Bird ◽  
G. McCarthy ◽  
K. O’Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Martial Arts ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Help Seeking Behavior ◽  
Mixed Martial Arts ◽  
Young Males ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Impact

This research sought to establish the impact of a 10-week program combining mixed martial arts (MMA) and one-to-one psychotherapy on young males’ mental health and determine factors that predict help-seeking behavior in at-risk males. Preparticipation and post-participation interviews were employed as the method of data collection. Seven males (20–35 years; M = 24.57) completed preparticipation interviews and five completed follow-up interviews. Thematic analysis of preparticipation revealed that help-seeking behavior in at-risk males is impeded by the presence of male gender stereotypes, the absence of positive role models, as well as difficulty navigating challenging social landscapes. Post-participation interviews revealed that the sport provided structure and fitness for at-risk males, while the counseling was pivotal for personal growth. Improved relationships, work life, and self-esteem were also observed. The sporting element of the program helped to reduce stigma associated with engaging in psychotherapy, and positive male relationships were noted as particularly impactful. Findings support previous research indicating that combining sports and psychotherapy positively impacts young males’ mental health. Sport provides an acceptable doorway to psychotherapy, providing space to explore personal issues.

scholarly journals International medical student’s mental health: psychological distress and socio-cultural adaptation

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Hachemi ◽  
M Dimitrijević ◽  
J Stojanović ◽  
S Cvjetković
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
International Students ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Cultural Adaptation ◽  
Foreign Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
International Medical ◽  
Depression Anxiety Stress Scale ◽  
Future Health

Abstract Background The greater academic mobility and globalization have introduced a substantial number of foreign students to more universities. The lack of recent studies about their adaptation and signs of psychological distress arose an interest about this relevant issue. Recognizing the factors involved in the adaptation process are vital for international students, especially medical, as they are considered the future health-care workforce. Ensuring their well-being is essential for consumers safety, satisfaction and raising quality at lower costs. Thus, the aim of this research was to explore the predictors of psychological distress including socio-demographic variables and socio-cultural adaptation Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Belgrade School of Medicine, where 124 (65 males and 59 females) international students from 32 countries were interviewed using a socio-demographic questionnaire and psychometric tools such as Revised Socio-cultural Adaptation Scale (SCAS-R) and Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21). Statistical analysis included prevalence data and multiple linear regression. Results The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress was found to be 39%, 55% and 41%, respectively. Maladaptation to a new environment by lack of participation in the community and focus on own interests were significant predictors of depression (β = −.39, p&lt; .01) and stress (β = −.36, p&lt; .05), while anxiety was associated with both female gender (β = −.30, p&lt;.05), self-centration and absence of community involvement (β = −.37, p&lt; .01). Conclusions There is a high prevalence of anxiety followed by stress and depression among international medical students. The results highlighted the importance of cultural adaptation for psychological distress. This shows a requirement for developing an adequate, accessible professional counselling and peer support services for foreign students that are necessary to achieve sustainable development goals. Key messages Encouraging researchers to further investigate the needs of international medical students. The development and implementation of health policies addressing student’s mental health.

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