Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Texas, Dec., 2008. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, June, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 61 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-46).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 96-102).

Shy children often have difficulty communicating; however, it is not clear whether these difficulties stem from a skills deficit or from an anxiety-driven performance deficit. Therefore, the present study examined how shy children’s communication skills differed from those of average, non-shy children, using the Internet as a medium for social communication. It was hypothesized that shy children may be more reticent than average children to initiate conversation in a novel situation. However, over time shy children were expected to become more comfortable in discussions with their on-line partner and to become less anxious as they acknowledge the anonymity of chat groups. This study also investigated potential changes in negative effects associated with shyness over time. Fifteen shy children (Mean shyness score=72.3; SD=6.43) and 15 average children (Mean shyness score=53.7; SD=5.6) participated in the 10 MSN conversation groups. Children were also given a series of questionnaires prior to and after the 10 sessions. Results from this study suggest that shy children communicate in a similar manner to their average partners when online. Results also suggest that shy children had higher levels of social anxiety than average children before beginning an online conversation with an unknown partner. However, by the end of the 10 sessions, their anxiety had been significantly reduced. No other changes or differences in psychological functioning were noted between shy and average children.

I takt med att samhället förändras och antalet unga med psykisk ohälsa ökar utvecklas och förändras även de hjälpformar som finns tillgängliga för ungdomar med psykisk ohälsa. Internets framväxt har bland annat resulterat i att traditionella former av hjälp, där den unge möter den professionella ansikte mot ansikte, har kompletterats med onlinehjälp så som onlinechattar. Med hänsyn till denna utveckling syftar denna studie till att undersöka och jämföra ungdomars attityder till att söka hjälp hos kurator och via onlinechatt vid psykisk ohälsa. Detta har åstadkommits med hjälp av ett kvantitativt tillvägagångssätt där pappersenkäter använts som insamlingsmetod. Sammanlagt besvarades enkäterna av 223 högstadie- och gymnasieungdomar mellan 15-20 år i Stockholmsområdet. Studiens resultat visar att ungdomarna känner större tillit till kuratorer än onlinechattar. De är även mer positiva till att söka hjälp hos kurator än via onlinechatt vid psykisk ohälsa. Ungdomarna uppgav varierande svar på vad som påverkar deras attityder till att söka respektive hjälpform. Lättillgänglighet, tillit och kommunikationsform uppgavs vara de faktorer som främst påverkar deras vilja att söka hjälpa hos kurator medan brist på tillit och stigma främst påverkar deras ovilja att söka denna hjälpform. De respondenter som kunde tänka sig att söka hjälp via onlinechatt uppgav däremot lättillgänglighet och anonymiteten som främsta anledningar. Den majoritet som inte kunde tänka sig att söka hjälp via onlinechatt uppgav brist på tillit och kännedom samt kommunikationsform som främsta orsaker till att inte söka denna hjälpform. Studiens respondenter är inte bara mer positiva till att söka hjälp hos kurator än via onlinechatt vid psykisk ohälsa; de har dessutom mer erfarenhet av att söka denna hjälpform. De faktorer som ungdomarna upplevde som positiva och negativa med sina erfarenheter skiljde sig dock avsevärt från de faktorer som påverkade deras attityder till att söka respektive hjälpform. Ungdomarna uppmärksammade exempelvis den professionellas bemötande och om de fick hjälp med sitt problem som positiva och negativa faktorer som utmärkte deras erfarenheter. Generellt hade dock majoriteten av ungdomarna positiva erfarenheter av att söka hjälp hos både kuratorer och onlinechattar. / In pace with changes in society, and as the number of youth with mental illness increases, the forms of help available to youth with mental health issues also develop and change. The evolution of the internet, among other things, has resulted in traditional forms of help, where the one meets a professional face-to-face, being supplemented with online forms of help, such as online chats. In view of this development, this study aims to examine and compare the attitudes of young individuals towards seeking help for mental illnesses from a counselor and an online chat. This thesis will be accomplished using a quantitative approach where paper questionnaires are used as a data collection method. A total of 223 questionnaires were answered by adolescents aged 15-20 years in the Stockholm area. The study’s results show that respondents feel more secure with and trust towards a counselor’s help and are also more likely to seek this form of help than online chat.  Responses varied in regards to what affected attitudes toward each form of assistance, but ease of access, trust and the medium of communication was reported to be the main factors affecting willingness to seek the help of a counselor, while lack of trust and stigma were the main factors contributing to reluctance. The respondents who were willing to seek help from an online chat stated however that accessibility and anonymity were primary factors. The majority who could not imagine seeking such online assistance stated lack of confidence and awareness as well as medium of communication as the foremost explanations. The study also showed that respondents are not only more willing to seek help for mental illness from a counselor than through online chat; they also have more experience in seeking this type of support. The factors that respondents felt to be positive and/or negative with their experience differed considerably from those factors that influenced the respondents' attitudes toward seeking help from a counselor or an online chat. Respondents drew attention to factors like the professionals' attitude and whether they received help with his or her problem as factors that characterized their experiences. Generally, however, the majority of respondents’ had positive experiences of seeking help from both counselors and online chats.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

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