Major

Psychology

Anticipated Graduation Year

2020

Access Type

Open Access

Abstract

Previous research has shown an increase in mental health problems among college students along with a decreased willingness to seek professional help for such problems. This project focuses on how confidence in managing mental health symptoms, perceived stigma, income, and symptom severity affect a first-year college student’s hypothetical willingness to seek mental health services. The severity of anxiety symptoms was found to be a significant moderator in the relationship between confidence and willingness to seek help. Additionally, income was found to be a significant moderator in the relationship between perceived stigma and willingness to seek help.

Faculty Mentors & Instructors

Colleen Conley, Ph.D., Department of Psychology; Amanda Ruggieri, B.S., Department of Psychology

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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The Effect of Severity of Mental Health Problems, Perceived Public Stigma, and Confidence on Students’ Willingness to Seek Treatment

Previous research has shown an increase in mental health problems among college students along with a decreased willingness to seek professional help for such problems. This project focuses on how confidence in managing mental health symptoms, perceived stigma, income, and symptom severity affect a first-year college student’s hypothetical willingness to seek mental health services. The severity of anxiety symptoms was found to be a significant moderator in the relationship between confidence and willingness to seek help. Additionally, income was found to be a significant moderator in the relationship between perceived stigma and willingness to seek help.