This study examined a mediational model of mental illness stigma, parent-child communication about mental health concerns, and help seeking attitudes/behaviors among young adults with at least one immigrant parent while considering the possible moderating effect of acculturation gap. The primary goal of this study was to examine whether the acculturation gap changed the relation between mental illness stigma and communication about personal mental health concerns with immigrant parents, which in turn could become a significant predictor of their help-seeking attitudes, as well as a barrier to seeking professional mental health services. Findings provided support to the direct and indirect effects of mental illness stigma through communication about mental health concerns on attitudes about help-seeking. The acculturation gap hypothesized to be a possible moderator for the stigma-communication about mental health concerns relationship among young adult ABCI was found to be significant for ABCI with a low mainstream culture acculturation gap. Discussion on the findings, limitations of the study, future research directions, and counseling implications are addressed.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

In recent years, scholars have moved beyond attributing academic difficulties to cognitive and personal characteristics of African American students, and have begun to consider the effects of the predominantly White university (PWU) setting on the educational and psychological outcomes of Black collegians. Unfortunately, the literature paints a bleak picture of the social context of African American students at PWUs which ultimately impedes students' academic persistence and achievement (Gloria, Kurpius, Hamilton, & Wilson, 1999) as well as psychological wellness (Prelow, Mosher, & Bowman, 2006). The psychological ramifications of social and educational conditions for African American students at PWUs, along with higher attrition rates would substantiate the tremendous use of campus mental health services by this student population. Yet, the literature reveals that even when services are easily accessible and are provided for free or at extremely discounted prices, African American students choose not to seek professional psychological help (Nickerson, Helms, & Terrell, 1994). Drawing upon the psychosociocultural theoretical framework proposed by Gloria and Rodriguez (2000), this study examined if variables specific to the PWU environment - minority student stress, out-group comfort, and cultural congruity - served as predictors of attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help in a sample of African American collegians. This study also analyzed if counselor racial preference served as a mediator between the predictors and help-seeking. Survey data were collected from 198 Black college students attending a large, PWU in the Southwest. Results revealed that cultural congruity was the only significant predictor of help-seeking attitudes, and counselor racial preference was not a significant mediator. Exploratory analyses indicated gender differences in the relationship between the psychosociocultural variables and counselor racial preferences. Implications for practice and research in counseling psychology are discussed. / text

Alors que les personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus consomment des substances psychoactives (SPA), le nombre de consultations en centre de réadaptation en dépendance (CRD) au Québec se serait accentué au cours des dernières années. Deux types de trajectoires sont principalement identifiés dans les études épidémiologiques. Certains auraient une consommation de SPA persistante sur plusieurs années. Pour d’autres, la trajectoire addictive commencerait dans une période liée au vieillissement où la consommation servirait à compenser des évènements difficiles de la vie. Jusqu’à maintenant, très peu d’études portent sur la perspective des personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus quant à leur consommation de SPA et aux motifs pouvant les amener à rechercher de l’aide. Le but de cette étude est de décrire et de comprendre les trajectoires addictives en lien avec les trajectoires de recherche d’aide et d’utilisation de services selon le point de vue de personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus. Un devis qualitatif descriptif interprétatif a été utilisé. Des entrevues semi-structurées en profondeur auprès de 11 personnes âgées en suivi thérapeutique ont été réalisées dans deux régions du Québec. Une analyse de trajectoire en tenant compte de la chronologie des évènements a été croisée à une analyse thématique. Trois types de trajectoires addictives chez les personnes âgées de l’étude émergent des données. Différents éléments influencent ces trajectoires, dont les problématiques associées de santé mentale et physique ainsi que des expériences de vie et le parcours d’utilisation de services. Les trajectoires de recherche d’aide et d’utilisation de services en dépendance sont également influencées par le réseau social qui comprend les membres de l’entourage, mais également les professionnels de la santé. Ces derniers semblent être un levier important à une référence vers un traitement en dépendance. L’étude a permis de mettre en lumière la complexité du phénomène de consommation, mais également l’hétérogénéité des expériences du vieillissement pouvant influencer la consommation de SPA. Les aspects directement liés à l’expérience du vieillissement doivent être pris en considération afin de bien saisir les raisons et les éléments contextuels influençant le parcours de consommation problématique. / Abstract : The problematic use of psychoactive substances (PS; alcohol, drugs, prescription medication) is a significant phenomenon among people aged 65 and over. Moreover, in addiction treatment services of the Québec Province, the presence of elderly persons has increased. Epidemiological studies have identified two types of addiction trajectories: some elderly has a PS use that has started long time ago and has persisted for several years and for others the addiction trajectory has begun recently, in a period associated with aging to cope with stressful life events. Diverse reasons can explain this difference, but very few studies have explored the point of view of the elderly about their use of PA and their reasons for seeking-help The aim of the study is to describe and understand the addiction trajectories in relation to help-seeking and service use trajectories from the perspectives of elderly people in addiction treatment for PA. A descriptive interpretative study design was used. It was based on in-depth interviews conducted with 11 elderly people receiving addiction treatment in two regions of the Québec Province. A trajectory analysis taking into account the chronology of the events was crossed with a thematic analysis The results suggest that there are three types of addiction trajectories in the elderly of the study. These trajectories are influenced by different factors, including the associated health, mental and physical problems and life experiences and the use of services in the past. The trajectories of seeking help and using dependency services are also influenced by their social network, which includes members of the entourage, but also health professionals. These seem to be a lever to a reference to addictive treatment. The study not only shows the complexity of the drug use phenomenon among the elderly, but also how the heterogeneity of the aging experiences could influence the consumption of elderly. Certain aspects related to the aging experience such as retirement, social participation are particularly important to understand how addictions could influence the elderly.

À ce jour, peu d’études ont été conduites pour mieux comprendre le phénomène de la demande d’aide auprès d’hommes dans le contexte du cancer. Les études consultées suscitaient de nombreuses questions et hypothèses sur la signification que pouvaient accorder ces hommes à la demande d’aide. C’est pourquoi l’étudiante chercheuse a réalisé cette étude phénoménologique auprès d’hommes atteints d’un cancer de la sphère otorhinolaryngologique, afin de mieux comprendre ce phénomène. Huit hommes ont accepté de participer à l’étude. Suite aux entrevues semi-structurées, l’analyse des données, assistée par la méthode proposée par Giorgi (1997), a fait ressortir les thèmes centraux suivants : 1) Se sentir capables de faire face seuls aux diverses adversités; 2) Bénéficier du soutien des proches et de l’équipe de soins; et 3) Utiliser des stratégies cognitives. Les résultats ont révélé que la signification accordée à la demande d’aide est intimement liée à la construction sociale du genre, c’est-à-dire aux normes d’identité masculine acquises culturellement. Les valeurs accordées à l’autonomie, à l’estime de soi et à « l’égo masculin » expliqueraient en partie pourquoi les hommes interviewés demandent peu d’aide. Par ailleurs, la présence constante de la conjointe et le soutien de l’équipe professionnelle de santé semblent avoir grandement modulé les comportements de demande d’aide des participants en anticipant leurs besoins avant même qu’ils puissent les exprimer; ce qui invite à une réflexion sur l’empowerment, stratégie d’intervention fondée sur la responsabilisation individuelle. Des recommandations pour la pratique et la recherche infirmières sont formulées afin d’optimiser le soin et le développement du savoir infirmier dans ce domaine d’intérêt. / To date, few studies have been conducted to better understand the phenomenon of help seeking of men in the context of cancer. The reviewed studies elicited many questions and hypotheses about men’s understanding of help seeking in the context of cancer. Therefore, the research student has conducted a phenomenological study to describe this phenomenon in men with otorhinolaryngological cancer. Eight men have agreed to participate in the study. Following semi-structured interviews, the data analysis, assisted by the method proposed by Giorgi (1997), highlighted the following key themes: 1) Feeling able to cope alone with the various adversities, 2) Having the support of the family and the care team, and 3) Using cognitive strategies. The results showed that the lived experience of help seeking is closely linked to the social construction of gender, that is to say to the culturally acquired male norms. Values of autonomy, self-esteem and “male ego” explain in part why most of the participants did not ask for help. Moreover, the constant presence of the spouse and the support of the professional health care team appear to have greatly modulated participants’ help seeking behaviors by anticipating their needs, before they could even express them; this issue invites us to a reflection on the phenomenon of empowerment, intervention strategy based on the individual responsabilisation. Recommendations for practice and nursing research are formulated to optimize nursing care and to insure the pursuit of the development of nursing knowledge in this area of interest.

The present study is a comparison of music and non-music students with respect to their response patterns on the Brief Symptom Inventory as well as several demographic questions. The sample consisted of 148 non-music students and 141 music students at three levels: (1) freshmen/sophomore; (2) juniors/seniors; and (3) graduate students. Music students consisted of volunteers from several different music classes and non-music students were volunteers from non-music classes. There were no significant differences found among or between groups for the BSI subscales. However, music students were significantly less likely to have gone to counseling in the past and to seek professional counseling for future problems. Recommendations for psycho-educational interventions with musicians are discussed as well as suggestions for future research.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur kvinnor utsatta för våld i nära relation upplever omgivningens reaktioner på våldet samt vilken betydelse det sociala nätverket haft för våldets utveckling. Studien baseras på fem semistrukturerade djupintervjuer med kvinnor som har erfarenhet av våld i nära relation. Resultaten, som analyserades med narrativ analysmetod och tolkades utifrån symbolisk interaktionism och uppbrottsprocessmodellen, visar att kvinnorna berättat om våldet för familjemedlemmar, vänner, arbetskamrater samt formella kontakter såsom polis, oftast i anslutning till en allvarlig våldshändelse. I merparten av fallen upplevde kvinnorna att de blivit bemötta med stöttande och hjälpande reaktioner som också bidragit till att kvinnan lyckats bryta upp från den våldsutsatta relationen. Några av kvinnorna upplevde dock bemötande av tystnad eller avståndstagande; i dessa situationer har ett absolut uppbrott inte ägt rum. Sammantaget tycks alltså reaktioner och stöd från den sociala omgivningen ha stor, och ibland avgörande, betydelse för om våldet fortsätter eller ej. / The purpose of this study was to examine if and how victims of domestic violence disclose their experiences to their social network, how the social network responds to the violence and the significance of the network responses relative to the evolvement of the violence. The study is based on five semi-structured interviews with women who have been exposed to different forms of domestic violence. The results, which were analysed using a narrative analysis and interpreted by symbolic interactionism and the theory of the leaving process, shows that women disclose their experiences about domestic violence to both informal and formal contacts. Disclosure often happened in the aftermath of a serious violent incident. In the majority of cases, women experienced supportive reactions that also contributed to the final break up from their relationships. Some of the women, however, experience negative attitudes and rejection, in these situations an absolute break-up was not completed.

Inledning: Psykisk ohälsa är ett växande samhällsproblem, där pojkar är överrepresentativa i självmordsstatistiken. Maskulinitetsnormer kan ha negativa konsekvenser för pojkars sätt att uttrycka psykisk ohälsa. Forskning påvisar att pojkar enbart söker hjälp om deras problem är så pass varaktiga och desperata att de inte ser någon annan utväg. Syfte: Undersöka hur maskulinitet och könsnormer hindrar pojkar (10–25 år) från att söka hjälp för psykisk ohälsa. Metod: En systematisk litteraturstudie, baserad på 10 vetenskapliga originalartiklar med kvalitativ metod (fokusgrupper och individuella intervjuer). Datainsamling har skett via CINAHL, Academic Search Elite och WorldCat Discovery. Resultatet har analyserats med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Resultatet tyder på att maskulinitetsnormer i hög utsträckning begränsar pojkar från att söka hjälp för psykisk ohälsa. Faktorer som var avgörande var stigmatisering, rädsla för konfrontation och hantera känslomässiga svårigheter. Det framkom kunskapsbrist kring psykisk ohälsa och tröskeln för att söka hjälp var hög. Pojkar undviker i hög utsträckning psykiska problem genom olika externa strategier. Slutsats: Maskulinitetsnormer har negativ inverkan på pojkars psykiska ohälsa och är ett hinder till att pojkar inte söker hjälp. Även strukturella faktorer framkom som ett hinder. Maskulinitetsnormer är påtagliga och påverkar pojkars syn på sin egen och andras psykiska ohälsa. Förståelse för hur pojkar uttrycker och upplever psykisk ohälsa och vilka begränsningar för att söka hjälp är viktiga att förstå för att uppnå en jämlik vårdkedja. Metoder kring normbrytande strategier bör prioriteras, samt involvera pojkar i förändrings- och utvecklingsarbetet. Forskning bör även fokusera på att fördjupa kunskaper inom aktuell kontext för att kunna generalisera resultaten. / Introduction: Mental illness is a growing problem, where boys are overrepresented in the suicide statistics. Masculinity norms can have negative consequences for boys' way of expressing mental illness. Research suggests that boys only seek help if their problems are so long lasting and desperate that they don’t see any other way out. Purpose: To investigate how masculinity and gender norms prevent boys (age 10–25) from seeking help for mental illness. Method: A systematic literature review, based on 10 scientific original articles with qualitative method (focus groups and individual interviews). Datacollection took place in CINAHL, Academic Search Elite and WorldCat Discovery. The result has been analyzed with qualitative content analysis. Result: The result suggests that masculinity norms restrict boys from seeking help for mental illness. Factors that were decisive were stigmatization, fear of confrontation, and dealing with emotional difficulties. There was a lack of knowledge about mental illness and the threshold for seeking help was high. Boys avoid psychological problems through different external strategies. Conclusion: Masculinity norms have a negative impact on boys' mental illness and are an obstacle to boys not seeking help. Even structural factors emerged as an obstacle. Masculinity norms are tangible and affect boys' view of their own and others mental illness. Understanding how boys express and experience mental illness and limitations to seeking help are important to understand in order to achieve an equal healthcare. Methods regarding norm breaking strategies should be prioritized, as well as involving boys in the change and development. Research should also focus on deepening knowledge within the current context in order to be able to generalize the results.

李曉東. / 論文(博士)--香港中文大學, 2000. / 參考文獻 (p. 199-210) / 中英文摘要. / Available also through the Internet via Dissertations & theses @ Chinese University of Hong Kong. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Li Xiaodong. / Lun wen (bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2000. / Can kao wen xian (p. 199-210) / Zhong Ying wen zhai yao.

Lesbian intimate partner violence (IPV) is an understudied social and psychological problem in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative, comparative study was to understand any barriers of help-seeking behaviors for victims of lesbian IPV. The literature on lesbian IPV has not included the perspectives of both service provider and support person on why these barriers persist. Normative resource theory and the barriers model informed the study. Interviews were conducted with a sample of 8 providers and 5 support persons. Interviews were then transcribed and coded. The 7 themes that emerged among these 13 participants were an unawareness on how to get help, inability on the part of the victim to recognize abuse, lack of acknowledgement of abuse in the community, inadequate specialized training and policies to work with the lesbian community, no assurance of safety at the shelter, fear of disclosure of sexual orientation, and no confidence with system or service agency. All of these themes were identified as contributing factors that deterred lesbian IPV victims from seeking help. Although the findings are representative of a small sample, these findings can initiate positive social change by informing interventions which can bridge the gap between the lesbian IPV victim and the support services she needs.