College Student Response to Peers in Distress: An Exploratory Study

Sharkin, Bruce S.; Plageman, Paula M.; Mangold, Susan L.

doi:10.1353/csd.2003.0059

Cited by 28 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…As in other studies among university students, this study also indicates that the most common helping responses of undergraduates towards their distressed associates are to listen and/or talk and support the affected person [29, 30, 32]. However, there was a considerable proportion who did not indicate such actions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

“…While these students are frequently faced with friends or family who are affected by mental health problems [24–29], they consider one another as preferred sources of help when dealing with such problems [10–15, 29]. Moreover, they may seek the help of other students when attempting to help distressed peers [30]. However, these students may vary in their confidence about helping their mentally distressed peers [24, 31, 32], and lack confidence in their ability to respond to peers with severe problems [25, 33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Helping intentions of undergraduates towards their depressed peers: a cross-sectional study in Sri Lanka

et al. 2017

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BackgroundDespite showing high rates of depression, university students prefer to seek assistance for their depression from informal sources, such as their friends, rather than seeking professional assistance. Therefore, the helping behaviours of those who provide informal help to these students need examination. This study examines the helping intentions of undergraduates in Sri Lanka towards their depressed peers and the correlates of their helping intentions.MethodThe undergraduates were presented with a vignette of a hypothetical depressed undergraduate. A total of 4442 undergraduates responded to an open-ended question about how the person in the vignette should be helped if this person was someone they knew well. Their responses were coded in reference to established mental health first aid guidelines. Logistic and linear regression models were used to examine the predictors of their helping intentions.ResultsThe undergraduates’ most common helping intentions were to listen/talk and support their peer. Only around a third considered the need for professional help. The overall quality of their helping intentions was poor, but better among those who recognised the problem as depression and those who had less stigmatising attitudes. There was some evidence that certain helping intentions of the undergraduates which were person-oriented or social network-related were better among females, those in higher years of study and among certain non-medical student groups. Intentions to encourage professional help were better among those who recognised the problem, but poorer among those with personal experiences of this problem and among those who perceived this problem to be a weakness and not a sickness.ConclusionsAlthough the undergraduates may attempt to support their distressed peers, they may not show appropriate helping actions and may not encourage the use of professional assistance. Hence, they need to be educated on how best to respond to their distressed peers. Those with higher levels of stigma and inability to recognise the problem may be at greater risk of showing poorer helping responses towards their distressed peers.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1192-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Helping intentions of undergraduates towards their depressed peers: a cross-sectional study in Sri Lanka

et al. 2017

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“…The genuine concern for sorority sisters and a readiness to help each other are also encouraging findings worth expanding. Sorority members should be recruited by campus peer education programs, with an overall goal of having at least 2 to 3 designated peer educators for each campus sorority (Sharkin, Plageman, & Mangold, 2003). Special invitations to sororities to participate in community activities may also facilitate ongoing relationships.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collegiate Sororities and Dating Violence

Anderson¹,

Danis

2007

Violence Against Women

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Women in collegiate sororities are more at risk for violence within the context of dating relationships than is the general population of college women. Because assaulted women are more likely to turn to their peer networks for support, this study explores the formal and informal helping strategies available to sorority members within the context of their sororities. A total of 35 women representing 17 different sororities participated in 4 focus groups. Although the central finding uncovered how violence is largely omitted from the formal agendas of sororities, community and campus-based programs addressing the issue can build on their sincere interest in helping each other.

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“…Chief among the roles of the RA is that of a paraprofessional advisor or counselor (Blimling, 2003). In this role, RAs are sentinel observers of residential campuses and over the course of one or more academic years they become repositories of information about the lifestyles and problems of the residents in their living unit (Sharkin, Plageman, & Mangold, 2003). RAs also serve as “first responders” in crises situations, and when residents exhibit problem behaviors, they are responsible for discussing the situation with residents and linking them to professional mental health services (Elleven, Allen, & Wircensk, 2001; Ness, 1985).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes Associated with Alcohol and Marijuana Referral Actions by Resident Assistants

et al. 2014

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This exploratory study examined associations between resident assistant (RA) attitudes and referral actions to identify training strategies for strengthening the ability of these paraprofessionals to recognize and refer college students in their living units who misuse alcohol and marijuana. The study’s hypotheses were that (1) referral self-efficacy and perceived referral norms would be positively associated with RA referral actions and (2) perceived referral barriers and referral anticipatory anxiety would be negatively associated with RAs’ referral actions. A total of 317 RAs at eight residential campuses in different regions of the U.S. took part in the study. All participating RAs had at least one semester of work experience. Just prior to the Fall semester of 2012, RA’s responded to an online survey that assessed their alcohol and marijuana referral attitudes and referral actions. Overall, RAs reported considerable anxiety about approaching and referring students who may have an alcohol and/or marijuana problem. Perceived referral norms among RAs indicated substantial variability in perceptions about others’ expectations of them for referring students who may have alcohol and marijuana problems. Results from two multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that referral self-efficacy distinguished RAs who took alcohol referral actions and marijuana referral actions from those who did not do so. Neither length of RA service nor time spent on campus was associated with referral actions. RA training programs could give attention to strengthening referral self-efficacy through a series of increasingly difficult skill-building activities during pre- and in-service training. In addition, senior residence life and housing professional staff may consider assessing the extent to which RAs under their supervision follow established protocols for assisting students with possible alcohol and marijuana problems. The development of evidence-based RA training programs will require additional research.

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College Student Response to Peers in Distress: An Exploratory Study

Cited by 28 publications

References 11 publications

Helping intentions of undergraduates towards their depressed peers: a cross-sectional study in Sri Lanka

Helping intentions of undergraduates towards their depressed peers: a cross-sectional study in Sri Lanka

Collegiate Sororities and Dating Violence

Attitudes Associated with Alcohol and Marijuana Referral Actions by Resident Assistants

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