African American College Students: Literacy of Depression and Help Seeking

Stansbury, Kim L.; Wimsatt, Maureen A.; Simpson, Gaynell M.; Martin, Fayetta; Nelson, Nancy J.

doi:10.1353/csd.2011.0058

Cited by 21 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Although the importance of mental health literacy is clearly indicated in the literature, to date, only a limited number of researchers have conducted studies that examined mental health literacy regarding depression and anxiety among college students in the United States (Coles & Coleman, ; J. E. Kim, Saw, & Zane; ; Stansbury, Wimsatt, Simpson, Martin, & Nelson, ), and their findings suggest relatively low levels of literacy in recognizing depression and anxiety. For example, Stansbury et al () found that 37% of African Americans in their college student sample were unable to identify depression in a series of case vignettes; instead, they attributed depression to stress or personal reasons (e.g., family conflict). Coles and Coleman () found that more than 50% of the respondents in their racially/ethnically diverse college student sample labeled generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) inaccurately.…”

Section: Mental Health Literacy Self‐stigma Of Seeking Psychologicalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐Stigma, Mental Health Literacy, and Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help

Cheng

Wang

McDermott

et al. 2018

Jour of Counseling & Develop

233

195

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This study examined self‐stigma of seeking psychological help and mental health literacy as predictors of college students’ (N = 1,535) help‐seeking attitudes, with additional attention to psychological and demographic correlates. Results indicated that mental health literacy predicted help‐seeking attitudes above and beyond self‐stigma. Asian American race/ethnicity, male gender, current psychological distress, and help‐seeking history were also significant predictors. Implications for addressing mental health literacy and self‐stigma while attending to demographic and psychological variations in help seeking are discussed.

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Section: Mental Health Literacy Self‐stigma Of Seeking Psychologicalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self‐Stigma, Mental Health Literacy, and Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help

Cheng

Wang

McDermott

et al. 2018

Jour of Counseling & Develop

233

195

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Researchers have recently started to examine cultural factors related to the presence of stigma; however, research examining the role of stigma in Black/ African American communities is still limited as most scholars have only examined public stigma and few have examined the reasons for differences in this stigma (Abdullah & Brown, 2011). Stansbury, Wimsatt, Simpson, Martin, and Nelson (2011) found stigma surrounding mental illness (public stigma) was reported by 33% of African American college students (N = 54). In a sample of Black/African American mental health consumers (N = 34), stigma associated with mental illness was reported as a factor in the avoidance and delay of treatment (Alvidrez, Snowden, & Kaiser, 2008).…”

Section: Values and Stigma Associated With Psychological Help-seekingmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Are Personal Values Linked to Help-Seeking Stigma?

Lannin

Ludwikowski

Heath

et al. 2019

The Counseling Psychologist

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The extent to which individuals prioritize different personal values may be conceptually linked to the perceptions of societal stigma associated with seeking psychological help (public stigma), as well as the extent to which they apply that stigma to themselves (self-stigma). We examined how personal values predicted public stigma and self-stigma of seeking psychological help. Undergraduates ( N = 342) from two universities, one historically Black college/university and one predominantly White institution, completed questionnaires assessing personal values and public stigma and self-stigma of seeking psychological help. Self-transcendence values predicted lower self-stigma directly and indirectly via public stigma. Though there were no structural differences between the modeled relationships of values, public stigma, and self-stigma between Black/African American and White/European American undergraduates, the groups differed in their prioritization of self-transcendence, openness to change, and conservation values. Results suggest that understanding how individuals prioritize certain values over others may help explain group-differences in help-seeking stigmas.

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“…Studies assessing recognition of depression among undergraduates have examined their ability to recognise the symptoms of depression or their ability to accurately label the condition when presented in a vignette [ 3 , 4 , 26 , 30 , 31 ]. Many studies have examined undergraduates’ knowledge about dealing with mental disorders by examining their personal help-seeking intentions if affected by the problem, and their treatment beliefs assessed by examining their perceptions about the helpfulness of different options of help [ 4 , 32 – 35 ]. While both these aspects reflect knowledge about dealing with the examined disorders, they are also found to predict actual help-seeking behaviours [ 36 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depression literacy of undergraduates in a non-western developing context: the case of Sri Lanka

2015

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BackgroundResearch examining the depression literacy of undergraduates in non-western developing countries is limited. This study explores this among undergraduates in Sri Lanka.MethodsA total of 4671 undergraduates responded to a survey presenting a vignette of a depressed undergraduate. They were asked to identify the problem, describe their intended help-seeking actions if affected by it and rate the helpfulness of a range of help-providers and interventions for dealing with it. Mental health experts also rated these options, providing a benchmark for assessing the undergraduates’ responses.ResultsOnly 17.4 % of undergraduates recognised depression, but this was significantly lower among those responding in Sinhala compared to English (3.5 vs 36.8 %). More undergraduates indicated intentions of seeking informal help, such as from friends and parents, than from professionals, such as psychiatrists and counsellors. However, a majority rated all these help-providers as ‘helpful’, aligning with expert opinion. Other options recommended by experts and rated as ‘helpful’ by a large proportion of undergraduates included counselling/psychological therapy and self-help strategies such as doing enjoyable activities and meditation/yoga/relaxation exercises. However, a low proportion of undergraduates rated “western medicine to improve mood” as ‘helpful’, deviating from expert opinion. Although not endorsed by experts, undergraduates indicated intentions of using religious strategies, highly endorsing these as ‘helpful’. Labelling the problem as depression and using mental health-related labels were both associated with higher odds of endorsing professional help, with the label ‘depression’ associated with endorsing a wider range of professional options.ConclusionsThe recognition rate of depression might be associated with the language used to label it. These undergraduates’ knowledge about the use of medication for depression needs improvement. Health promotion interventions for depressed undergraduates must be designed in light of the prevalent socio-cultural backdrop, such as the undergraduates’ high endorsement of informal and culturally relevant help-seeking. Improving their ability to recognise the problem as being mental health-related might trigger their use of professional options of help.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1589-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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African American College Students: Literacy of Depression and Help Seeking

Cited by 21 publications

References 24 publications

Self‐Stigma, Mental Health Literacy, and Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help

Self‐Stigma, Mental Health Literacy, and Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help

How Are Personal Values Linked to Help-Seeking Stigma?

Depression literacy of undergraduates in a non-western developing context: the case of Sri Lanka

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