Older adults have the lowest mental health utilization of any age cohort. This study compared baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964 versus older adults born in 1944 or earlier, on attitudes and intentions to utilize mental health services. Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior and its related constructs of attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intentions were used as a theoretical model. The Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS) and Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS) were used for measuring the constructs in the theory of planned behavior. Gender and previous mental health service utilization were also measured. Participants (n = 401) included current and retired faculty and staff from a mid-sized Midwestern University. Statistical analysis, using MANOVA, found main effects for previous mental health experience and age cohort, but not for gender. Those with previous mental health service experience expressed more positive attitudes, intentions, and perceived behavioral control over receiving mental health services. Contrary to the primary hypothesis, the older adult cohort expressed more positive attitudes, greater intentions, was less affected by the subjective norm, and had more perceived behavioral control than baby boomers. Regression analyses, using gender, previous mental health service use, attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control accounted for 55.7% of the variance in intentions for the older adult cohort and 58.2% for baby boomers. For both cohorts, attitudes accounted for the greatest amount of variance. Promoting positive attitudes through reducing environmental and economic barriers and increasing education regarding mental health services is likely to increase mental health service utilization in baby boomers and older adults. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

by Chan Chui-mi, Rebecca and Pong Hei-ming, David. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Bibliography: leaf 138. / TABLES OF CONTENTS --- p.ii / LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS --- p.v / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vi / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS --- p.vii / Chapter I. --- BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM STATEMENT --- p.1 / Background on the Yuppie Phenomenon --- p.1 / Baby-boomers and Yuppies --- p.1 / Yuppies in the U.S.A. --- p.1 / The Yuppie Phenomenon in Hong Kong --- p.3 / Statement of the Problem --- p.5 / Chapter II. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.6 / Yuppies : Origin and Definition --- p.8 / Yuppies : Their Inner World --- p.10 / Yuppies : An International Flavor --- p.13 / Yuppies in Hong Kong --- p.15 / Returnees --- p.16 / Working Educated Women --- p.16 / Yuppies : Life-style and Marketing Imp1ications --- p.17 / Yuppies : Fading Away --- p.17 / Conclusions --- p.22 / Chapter III. --- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY --- p.23 / Hypotheses Development --- p.23 / Psychological Traits --- p.24 / Status Conscious --- p.24 / Quality Conscious --- p.24 / Motivation and Drive --- p.25 / Innovative and Adventurous --- p.25 / Health-conscious --- p.25 / Time-conscious --- p.26 / Concern for Children --- p.26 / Media Selection --- p.26 / Market/Consumption Behavior --- p.27 / Demographic Profile --- p.28 / Target Group Definition --- p.29 / Age --- p.30 / Personal Income --- p.30 / Education --- p.31 / Data Collection --- p.31 / Sampling Frame --- p.31 / Questionnaire Design --- p.32 / Psychological Traits --- p.32 / Market Behavior --- p.33 / Demographic Profile --- p.35 / Data Analysis --- p.35 / Summary --- p.36 / Chapter IV. --- DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS --- p.37 / Pilot Test --- p.37 / Data Collection in Practice --- p.38 / Sample Group --- p.38 / Post-coding of Part I Answers --- p.39 / Post-coding of Part II Answers --- p.39 / Descriptive Statistics --- p.46 / Frequency Statistics --- p.46 / Hypothesis Testing of Psychological --- p.46 / Traits By Two-Sample T-test / Analysis of Yuppies， Consumption By One-Sample Chi-Square --- p.48 / Cross Tabulation and Chi-Square --- p.51 / Statistic on Consumption of Yuppies / Vis-a-vis the Control Group / Demographic Characteristics of Yuppies --- p.54 / Cluster Analysis --- p.56 / Primary Cluster Analysis --- p.56 / Secondary Cluster Analysis --- p.58 / Demographic Characteristics Redefined --- p.62 / Chapter V. --- MARKETING IMPLICATIONS --- p.63 / Executive Summary --- p.63 / Marketing Implications --- p.64 / Marketing of Social Goods --- p.65 / Marketing of Non-social Goods --- p.66 / New Market Segments --- p.67 / New Product Attributes --- p.67 / New Distribution Channels --- p.68 / New Promotion Messages --- p.68 / Differentiated Pricing Strategies --- p.69 / Recommendations for Future Studies --- p.77 / APPENDIX --- p.71 / Chapter 1 --- Initial Questionnaire for Pilot Test --- p.71 / Chapter 2 --- Pilot Test and Spearman Coefficient for Internal Consistency Test --- p.89 / Chapter 3.1 --- Revised Questionnaire in English --- p.91 / Chapter 3.2 --- Revised Questionnaire in Chinese --- p.102 / Chapter 4 --- "Descriptive Statistics on Mean, Standard Deviation, Maximum and Minimum Values of Records" --- p.113 / Chapter 5 --- Hypothesis Testing of Psychological Traits by Two-sample T-test --- p.114 / Chapter 6 --- T-test Results on the Mean Difference for Each Group of Attitude Statements between the Yuppies and the Control Group --- p.116 / Chapter 7 --- One Sample Chi-square Test --- p.120 / Chapter 8 --- Results of One Sample Chi-square on Yuppies， Consumption --- p.121 / Chapter 9 --- Cross Tabulation of Chi-square Statistics on Consumption of Yuppies vis-a-vis the Control Group --- p.127 / Chapter 10 --- Frequency Statistics on Yuppie Demographics --- p.130 / Chapter 11 --- Cluster Analysis --- p.135 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.136