Over half of all lifetime mental health disorders emerge during early adulthood and is associated with many adverse outcomes including: lower educational achievement, substance misuse and premature death. Despite the prevalence and burden of mental health problems, young adults with mental health needs are the least likely to seek professional help. This study aimed to gain a better understanding of help-seeking among young adults aged 18-25 and aimed to identify the factors that can delay or prevent access to mental health support. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected from young adults in the community using an anonymous online survey. The results of the study showed that approximately a third of participants did not seek any help for an emotional or mental health difficulty and of those who sought help the majority had accessed help from their friends or their GP. Intention to seek professional help was significantly association with satisfaction from services and perceived stigma, however psychological distress revealed a non-significant relationship. Thematic analysis revealed that stigmatising beliefs, perceiving the problem as not serious, a preference for self-reliance and difficulty in accessing help or communicating concerns were common barrier themes. Facilitator themes highlighted the importance of having a flexible and confidential service. The clinical implications of the results are discussed as well as consideration for future research.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (Library and Information Studies) / The study investigated the information behaviour of Nigerian undergraduates with a focus on online media, especially Web 2.0. Nigeria has a laudable vision tagged Nigeria Vision 20:2020 (NV 20:2020), which is to be one of the top 20 knowledge economies by the year 2020. To achieve this grand feat, the nation requires a skilled population with 21st century graduate attributes who are information literate. That is, graduates who possess the competencies and high capabilities to effectively use and disseminate information for optimum service delivery in this epoch of information proliferation and technologies that are yet evolving. To ascertain the preparedness of Nigeria for the laudable Vision 20:2020, the research work investigated the information behaviour of Nigerian undergraduates using a specialized university, the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, as the case study site. The university was established in 2007 to meet the demands of the petroleum industry which is the largest in Nigerian in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Inactivity and its negative implications on health, well-being and quality of life are a global issue with around 40% of adults in the UK not meeting physical activity guidelines currently set out by the government. Modern sedentary lifestyle behaviours, such as excessive Internet and video game participation, are contributing factors to this issue. With the rise of households having accessibility to high speed connectivity and devices with the ability to access the Internet and play video games these behaviours are likely to increase. Motivation, Addiction and Sensation Seeking were measured in gamers and surfers using a self-report questionnaire survey. It was thought that both gamers and surfers would share facets of these psychological aspects although participation in their chosen activities usually require different energy expenditures and take place in contrasting environments. Gamers and surfers do share similarities in eight out of the ten aspects of Motivation, Addiction and Sensation Seeking that were measured and showed significantly higher results in measures of Sensation Seeking and Intrinsic Motivation when compared to wider population norms. These findings suggest that both gamers and surfers, in this study, have similar psychological make ups and both groups could be described as intrinsically motivated sensation seekers who have similar levels of risk of addiction to their chosen activities. Therefore the activity of surfing could potentially be used as an intervention or therapeutic lifestyle change that would fulfil important psychological requirements. This would assist in enhancing the health, through exercise, the well-being, through participation in the outdoors environment and therefore the overall quality of life of individuals participating in a sedentary lifestyle behaviour, such as excessive Internet or video gaming.

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29th, 2005. It is considered to be one of the costliest and devastating disasters in the history of the United States. The storm flooded 70% of New Orleans resulting in more than 1,500 people losing their lives and the displacement of an entire urban population. Reconstruction over the past ten years has revitalized much of New Orleans, demonstrating a great resilience and determination of its people. Nonetheless, New Orleans is also experiencing the long-term effects of Hurricane Katrina where victims of domestic violence and the institutions that serve them have been forever changed. This dissertation examines perceptions of domestic violence and help-seeking behaviors among women in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans from 2005 to 2015. Findings show that many women face striking inequalities demonstrated in higher rates of poverty, lack of affordable housing, and one of the highest wage gaps in the United States. Patriarchal attitudes seen in legal institutions, the police force, and political systems contribute to the perception of a gender bias against women. This qualitative research uses a case study methodology and employs ethnographic methods of observation, including 31 in-depth interviews that capture the complexity of domestic violence and identify the social and economic dynamics that create barriers to help-seeking in New Orleans. The data contends that women who have increased access to informal and formal networks are able to enact behaviors that will allow them to seek help and extricate themselves from abusive relationships. These findings demonstrate that inequalities in post-disaster reconstruction have created barriers to help-seeking among victims of domestic violence. These barriers include the destruction of social capital, institutional failures, and limited economic resources. Likewise, findings reveal that attitudes and behaviors regarding domestic violence help-seeking are dependent on social and economic well-being. This highlights the need for more research and hard data on the incidence of domestic violence in New Orleans to learn the exact scope of the problem and how to overcome the social and economic barriers that perpetuate the cycle of domestic violence. / 1 / Kelley Virginia Ponder

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rhode Island, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-187).

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2003.

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how women seek health information on the Web in relation to information source characteristics, situational characteristics, and socio-demographic characteristics. The Web is conceptualized as three facets that reflect the three main modes of seeking health information on the Web: websites; Web-based bulletin boards and chatrooms; and Web-based listservs and newsgroups. The lack of analytical research on this gendered online activity prompted this study. The conceptual framework is based primarily on theoretical foundations from two academic disciplines: information science and health sciences. The independent variables in the conceptual framework are health information need, family caregiving, perceived Web self efficacy, perceptions of the quality and accessibility of the Web as a source of health information, and socio-demographic variables. The dependent variable is intensity (frequency) of seeking health information on the Web (FSHIW). Data was collected from 264 women from November 2000 until April 2001 using a Web survey questionnaire. The participants were predominantly well educated, English-speaking Canadians. A subset of 27 survey respondents completed at least one additional component of this multi-method study. Perception of the reliability of the Web as a source of health information was identified as the key variable influencing frequency of seeking health information on the Web (FSHIW). As well, perceived information source reliability was correlated with two information source characteristics, perceived information source relevance and cognitive access. Two situational variables, health information need and family caregiving, were weakly correlated with FSHIW. Three socio-demographic variables – racial identity, household income, and occupation – affected FSHIW. Qualitative interview data, Web use journals, and recordings of Web use sessions provided a contextualized understanding of the survey data. In particular, they highlighted the importance of situational and affective relevance. To-date, very few empirical research studies have been conducted on how women seek health information on the Web. This unique multi-method study contributes to a better understanding of women’s use of the Web as a source of health information for resolving personal health problems and caring for family members by identifying key variables that affect the frequency of this online behaviour and contextualizing these variables.

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine how women seek health information on the Web in relation to information source characteristics, situational characteristics, and socio-demographic characteristics. The Web is conceptualized as three facets that reflect the three main modes of seeking health information on the Web: websites; Web-based bulletin boards and chatrooms; and Web-based listservs and newsgroups. The lack of analytical research on this gendered online activity prompted this study. The conceptual framework is based primarily on theoretical foundations from two academic disciplines: information science and health sciences. The independent variables in the conceptual framework are health information need, family caregiving, perceived Web self efficacy, perceptions of the quality and accessibility of the Web as a source of health information, and socio-demographic variables. The dependent variable is intensity (frequency) of seeking health information on the Web (FSHIW). Data was collected from 264 women from November 2000 until April 2001 using a Web survey questionnaire. The participants were predominantly well educated, English-speaking Canadians. A subset of 27 survey respondents completed at least one additional component of this multi-method study. Perception of the reliability of the Web as a source of health information was identified as the key variable influencing frequency of seeking health information on the Web (FSHIW). As well, perceived information source reliability was correlated with two information source characteristics, perceived information source relevance and cognitive access. Two situational variables, health information need and family caregiving, were weakly correlated with FSHIW. Three socio-demographic variables – racial identity, household income, and occupation – affected FSHIW. Qualitative interview data, Web use journals, and recordings of Web use sessions provided a contextualized understanding of the survey data. In particular, they highlighted the importance of situational and affective relevance. To-date, very few empirical research studies have been conducted on how women seek health information on the Web. This unique multi-method study contributes to a better understanding of women’s use of the Web as a source of health information for resolving personal health problems and caring for family members by identifying key variables that affect the frequency of this online behaviour and contextualizing these variables.

With the ever-increasing number of people accessing the Internet and the recent explosion of e-commerce world wide, there are considerable implications for the tourism industry. Tourism suppliers are investing in the Internet via web pages, advertising and e-commerce, but what role does the Internet actually play in tourism? Before more money is placed into this new 'e-economy', it is important to study the effectiveness of the Internet as a marketing tool in tourism. In order to better address the concerns described above, this research accomplishes several tasks. First, the significance of researching Internet use within the tourism context is established. Specifically, theories and concepts from postmodernism, post-industrialism and post-structuralism are drawn upon as they frame this study. Second, this research explores motivation and decision making within tourism and how the Internet is used during stages of travel preparation, planning and activities. Third, this research explores tourist preferences for novelty and familiarity in three dimensions; travel services, social contact and destination choices, and examines how these are associated with Internet use. The general structure of tourism markets in relation to Internet use as well as novelty and familiarity preferences are also discussed. Three case studies are undertaken to examine these matters: winter tourists, summer tourists and cruise tourists. Novelty-seekers were found to be the most frequent group of Internet users, and also were the most likely to consult a wider variety of information sources when making travel-related decisions. Results also indicate that Internet use for travel varies according to seasonality and destination choices rather than primary activity.

Two studies examined cultural differences in the propensity to seek performance feedback using an experimental policy-capturing design. Findings demonstrated differences between European-Canadians and Chinese participants in the importance of contextual and individual variables in predicting feedback-seeking intentions. In particular, European-Canadians were more motivated than Chinese participants to seek individual feedback when it was positive versus negative (feedback valence). Further, the ego-based motive (ego-defensiveness) predicted the relationship between feedback valence and feedback-seeking intentions for European-Canadians, whereas the motive did not predict the relationship for Chinese participants. Results indicated that both European-Canadians and Chinese participants were less likely to seek feedback when feedback seeking occurred in public versus private. This finding was qualified by a significant interaction between culture and the image-based motive (defensive impression management) in predicting the relationship between publicness of feedback seeking and feedback-seeking intentions. Specifically, the image-based motive predicted the relationship between the publicness of feedback seeking and feedback-seeking intentions for Chinese participants but did not predict this relationship for European-Canadians. Findings also revealed cultural differences in the propensity to seek feedback from different sources. European-Canadians were significantly more likely than Chinese participants to seek feedback when it came from a supervisor versus a peer. Contrary to prediction, the relationship between the mean beta weight for the Source cue was not predicted by the instrumental motive for European-Canadians. In support of prediction, power distance predicted the relationship between feedback source and feedback-seeking intentions for Chinese participants. Overall, the two studies provide evidence for differences in the motivation to seek feedback between East Asian and Western individuals. Study limitations and future research directions are discussed, as well as practical and theoretical implications of the current findings.