Help-seeking has been studied for over 20 years, but much is yet to be known about what variables influence parental help-seeking. In the present studies, participants were recruited from Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Study 1, included 260 caregivers recruited from local school districts and a church. Using confirmatory factor analysis, results supported the hypothesized 3-factor structure of the Parental Attitudes Toward Psychological Services Inventory (PATPSI) and internal consistency ranged from moderate to high. Study 2 conducted subsequent analyses on the data from Study 1. Correlation analyses supported the relationships among parental attitudes, stigma, and help-seeking. Secondly, parents with previous use of child mental health services reported more positive attitudes and less stigma than parents with no previous use. Thirdly, no significant gender differences were found, but there was a trend toward parents reporting higher intentions for boys than girls. Additionally, African Americans reported less positive attitudes and more stigma than the other ethnic groups. Finally, moderation analyses suggested that attitudes are more likely to influence help-seeking for European Americans but not for African Americans, and stigma appeared to influence helpseeking for Hispanic Americans but not for European Americans; no moderation effects were found for child gender. Finally, analyses indicated that only stigma and attitudes were significant independent predictors of help-seeking. Study 3 was a sub-sample from Study 1 (N = 118) who completed additional measures. The purpose was to replicate findings from Study 2 and examine test-retest reliability of the PATPSI. Test-retest reliability for the PATPSI was low in this sample. Overall, results were consistent with Study 2. Results indicated that parents with previous service use reported higher externalizing symptoms (not internalizing) than those with no previous use. Inconsistent with Study 2, Asian Americans reported less positive attitudes, and African Americans reported less stigma than European Americans and Asian Americans. Additionally, stigma tolerance was found to have a stronger influence on European Americans likelihood of future service use than for African Americans. Furthermore, the interaction between problem type and gender was not a significant predictor of likelihood of future use. Finally, only previous service use and attitudes (not stigma) were independent predictors of likelihood of future use. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Research shows that a considerable number of children and adolescents suffer needlessly from psychological problems and only about 50% of those receive the necessary services. Considering the impact of untreated child psychological problems on problems in adulthood, it is important to examine the influence of attitudes on seeking mental health service for children. Currently, no known measure exists to measure attitudes toward mental health services for children. Building on previous research, the goal of the present study was to develop a measure of individuals' attitudes toward mental health services for children. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the factor structure was assessed using a sample of university students (N = 250). In addition, several hypotheses were tested examining the influence of previous experience with mental health services on attitudes towards psychological services and mental health stigma. Finally, differences in child characteristics on intended help-seeking were examined. The measure developed consists of 26-items scored from 0 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Overall, results indicated that the 3-factor structure of the measure developed was valid and reliable. Also, consistent with previous research on mental health services results supported the hypotheses of the current study. Future research will examine whether the 3-factor structure is replicated using a sample of parents.

Thesis (Psy. D.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 38-45).

Thesis (M.A.)--Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary, 1998. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-89).

The negative relationship between economic hardship, child maltreatment, and child development in young children is well-documented. However, few studies have examined the mechanisms underlying the link between family economic hardship and child mental health outcomes in the context of child maltreatment. In this study, the family stress model is used to understand how family economic hardship affects child mental health. In this model, the effects of economic hardship on child mental health are indirect through their influence on family processes. Family processes are aspects of family life and are characterized by parental psychological functioning and parenting behavior. Because unhealthy family processes, which often lead to maltreatment, are associated with poor outcomes in the development of children, this framework can link developmental research and theory to an analysis of child maltreatment. The current study analyzes data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being-II, a survey of families in the child welfare system. The sample included children ages 18 months to 11 years and their parent (or caregivers). The results indicated that family income, a measure of economic hardship, was significantly associated with mental health problems in children involved in the child welfare system, but not in the way it was expected. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed no significant direct or indirect paths from family income to child mental health, but showed that family income affected other mechanisms contributing to poor child mental health. Lower family income was associated with greater parental depressive symptoms, alcohol use, drug use, and physical abuse. In line with the family stress model, the relationship between parental depression and child mental health was partially mediated through physical abuse. Similarly, physical abuse fully mediated the relationship between parental alcohol use and child mental health. However, neglect did not mediate the relationship between family processes and child mental health. Contrary to the study hypothesis, family processes did not mediate the relationship between family income and child mental health. Rather, family processes predicted poor child mental health. In particular, physical abuse was an important vehicle through which parental functioning translated to poor mental health outcomes in children. / text

published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

Social historians have been understandably wary of the contents of motion pictures. Their reticence to use film as a socio-historical document stems from a valid assumption that, since almost every film is to some degree a fictional construction, no film or group of films may be said to accurately reflect a society. In this study, however, a society is presented that a historian may credibly claim to be accurately represented by film since it exists wholly in film. It is the cinematic society created by the film archives of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). 'NFB society' is set in the 8,000 films produced since 1939 under the NFB mandate: "to interpret Canada to Canadians." Anchored physically, socially, and intellectually to the course of Canadian society and the state, this cinematic micro-society possesses a coherent Social history, which can be re-created by juxtaposing, synchronically and diachronically, films with like social scenarios. In so doing, patterns of social life, especially social relations in the micro-society may be observed in transience. NFB children play a significant role in this transience of NFB society, particularly in regard to dramatic changes in family, school, and community life which take place after the 1960s. Key to an explanation of the historical movement that develops within NFB families, schools, and communities are the 'progressive' socializing structures that replace traditional ones in the society in celluloid. Of particular interest are the social outcomes of the mental hygiene movement following its introduction into Film Board families in 1946 and schools in 1953. Over the decades of this study, the authority of NFB parents, teachers, and community leaders over the socialization of children is diminished by their adoption of the principles of mental hygiene, their influence over their children gradually supplanted by the influence of the cinematic state.

Child trauma exposure (CTE) is an important public health concern in the U.S.; more than two-thirds of children report experiencing a traumatic event by the age of 16. CTE may have important acute and long-term physiological, developmental, behavioral, and psychological implications if not addressed. Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is the gold standard for treatment of child trauma and is well-supported for resulting in significant decreases in negative mental health outcomes associated with CTE. Despite the efficacy of evidence-based interventions such as TF-CBT, many children do not receive treatment due to a variety of contextual, logistical, and interpersonal barriers. This mixed-methods exploratory study examines possible predictors of enrollment and completion of TF-CBT, specifically parental trauma exposure, at a community organization that serves abused and traumatized children in the metro Atlanta area. Data were collected during individual assessments consisting of a computer survey and semi-structured interview (n=41). Data analysis focused on parental trauma exposure, and qualitative interviews were examined for common themes regarding intentions for their child’s enrollment and completion of services. Results indicated that caregivers of children referred to services had relatively high (56.1%) rates of trauma exposure. Results from logistical regression indicate that parents with a trauma history were 10.5 times more likely to have a child enroll in therapy. These results indicate that parents with personal trauma histories may be more committed to their child receiving services, therefore public health efforts aimed towards educating parents without trauma histories may be beneficial.

The age period of adolescence is significant for epidemiologic research because of the emergence of emotional and behavioral problems, which occur during this time. Many studies have shown that few of the adolescents identified as suffering significant psychological disturbance receive help from specialist mental health agencies. The recognition of this gap between identified need in the community and the utilisation of services underlies the pathways model proposed by Goldberg and Huxley (1980). Understanding the pathways by which the distressed person reaches specialist services may assist in the improvement of the quality of mental health care in the community. The studies of pathways have mainly focused on adult populations. However the dominant patterns of General Practitioner and Medical pathways found in these studies are inconsistent with those of adolescents. Their different level of social and emotional development affects both how they seek help and how their problems are perceived by significant others. This study examined the records of initial contact for adolescents aged 12 to 18 years, who were referred to three community based mental health clinics serving a regional health district of Brisbane, during the period of 1 June 1997 to 30 June, 1998. The results showed that the pathways by which adolescents reach mental health services were broader in scope than those of adults. Parent, Education Professionals and General Practitioners were the dominant pathways to service. The factors most commonly presented to mental health services at the initiation of help seeking were familial/life event problems and behavioral problems. A notable feature in the presentations was the alarming and disturbing quality of a substantial proportion of the identified problems. It is considered that the social impact of the problems is a strong precipitant in referral. The significant findings of the study are that the pathways vary by the age and sex of the adolescent, and that some presentation problems are more highly associated with particular pathways.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2008. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 230-244). Also available online in Scholars' Bank; and in ProQuest, free to University of Oregon users.