published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

This study was designed to investigate 1) the cultural factors involved with Mexican citizens' attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and 2) Mexican citizens' explanatory models of mental distress. Questionnaire data from 110 Mexican college students indicate that those who report a higher tolerance for stigma report lower endorsement of both the construct of personalismo and the machismo. Respondents who reported more interpersonal openness also reported a lower endorsement of the machismo construct. Participants from a large city reported significantly more stigma tolerance than those from a small city. Regression analyses reveal machismo as a significant predictor of stigma tolerance. Qualitative data was collected to provide additional in-depth information. Study results could be used to provide culturally appropriate mental health services.

Many college students have reported struggling with mental health problems while dealing with challenging demands of college. The initial theoretical framework for this research was Pearlin's stress process model (SPM). Building on the SPM, the three additional mediating variables of perceived control, meaninglessness, and financial worries were added to create a composite model for the research. Mental health outcomes in the model were measured by a comprehensive range of factors, which included: psychological distress, suicide, substance abuse, and anger. Data were collected from a non-probability convenience sample of 463 undergraduate students attending a large state supported university in the southwestern region of the United States. Among the social status variables measured, being married, female, and white were significant predictors of poor mental health in the sampled college students. Poor self-image, feeling of meaninglessness, and worrying about current and future finances were significant mediating variables. Poor mental health could make individuals overwhelmed and discouraged. This is a formula for failure in college. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the correlates of mental health problems among college students. A greater understanding means that families and college administrations will have better ideas about how to intervene to reduce the stress of students and to focus the available and often limited resources to help young adults in their college experience.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the students' perception of the College Advisory Program and its relation to his personality patterns. A secondary purpose was to investigate the Faculty Advisors' perception of the College Advisory Program. An additional outgrowth of the study was an attempt to obtain descriptive data for improving or altering existing Advisory Programs.

“A research project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MA by Coursework and Research in the field of Industrial/Organisational Psychology in the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 15 March 2016.” / Student well-being has become an increasing concern for universities both locally and internationally, with an increased interest in the prevention of academic burnout and the promotion of academic engagement due to their respective negative and positive influence on students. Accordingly, the Job Demands-Resource (JD-R) model was developed as a theoretical framework, incorporating environmental characteristics that predict symptoms of engagement and burnout in individuals. A major criticism of the JD-R model is its lack of consideration for the impact of personal resources on individual well-being. Emanating from this concern, the current study used the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory to empirically investigate whether the personal resource of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) interacted within the health impairment and motivation processes of the JD-R model. More specifically, it examined whether PsyCap mediated the relationship between demands/resources and burnout/engagement within a South African university environment. Few studies have attempted to integrate personal resources into the JD-R model, and no known studies have applied this integration within a student-university context. This provides a unique and novel context for application, warranting further research. Research participants either accessed an online questionnaire via a web link made available to them on the university’s student portal, or a hard copy version of the questionnaire was distributed during lecture time. The questionnaire included a self-developed demographic questionnaire, an adapted version of the Student Stress Scale (Da Coste Leite & Israel, 2011), an adapted version of the Factors of Academic Facilitators Scale (Salanova, Schaufeli, Martinez, & Breso, 2010), the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Scale (Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez-Roma, & Bakker, 2002), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student (Schaufeli, Salanova, et al., 2002), and the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (Luthans Avolio, Avey, & Norman, 2007; Luthans, Youssef, & Avolio, 2007). The final sample (N=331) consisted of both full-time and part-time undergraduate students in their first, second or third year of study at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.” “Results of the current study demonstrated that PsyCap mediated the relationship between academic obstacles and academic engagement, as well as, the relationship between academic facilitators and academic engagement. It also demonstrated, however, that PsyCap was not significantly related to academic burnout, and therefore was not a mediator in the relationship between academic obstacles/facilitators and academic burnout. Furthermore, results indicated that direct, positive relationships between academic obstacles and academic burnout; academic facilitators and PsyCap; and PsyCap and academic engagement existed, while a direct, negative relationship between academic obstacles and PsyCap existed. These findings were supported with previous research and literature. In addition, the current study also produced some non-hypothesised, but not unexpected, findings. Firstly, academic burnout and engagement was found to be moderately and negatively related, and secondly, engagement appeared to mediate the relationship between PsyCap and academic burnout. Additionally, an indirect, positive and weak relationship was found to exist between academic obstacles and burnout, while an indirect, negative and weak relationship was found between academic facilitators and academic burnout”. In conclusion, the current findings provide support for JD-R and COR theoretical assumptions, as well as the significant role personal resources play in the JD-R model in predicting student well-being. / MT2017

The number of students dropping out of school is reaching crisis proportions. Compensatory alternative high schools are successful intervention programs for dropout prevention and school social workers offer services in these schools to support students at-risk of dropping out of school. The potential benefits of meditation as an intervention for this population have not been studied and this study explores the potential benefits of mindfulness meditation as a cognitive-behavioral strategy to help alternative high school students improve social and behavioral functioning. Participants were 35 alternative high school students in Grades 10 through 12 (N = 35; 19 boys and 16 girls). The research design in this study used both quantitative and qualitative methodology. Concept Mapping, a mixed-method approach, developed by Trochim (1989) allowed quantitative statistical analysis of qualitative data. In addition, teacher ratings and narrative qualitative data were also collected and analyzed. Concept Mapping yielded eight clusters reflecting the conceptual domain of student perceptions of the changes from the mindfulness meditation intervention: Improved Stress Management, Enhanced Self-Awareness, Enhanced Emotional Coping, Enhanced Ability to Pay Attention, Improved State of Mind, More Time Spent Being Calm, Improved School Climate, and Enhanced Student Engagement. Particularly important for students was the potential for meditation to relieve stress and to improve school climate. Students may value certain meditation benefits over others based on gender, age, or grade. Student behavioral and emotional strengths showed a statistically significant increase following the intervention as evidenced by teacher ratings on the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS-2)/Teacher Rating Scale. The mean for the Pre-Intervention ratings of students (M = 90.03, SD = 11.42) was lower than the mean Post-Intervention ratings of students (M = 100.60, SD = 13.28), t(27) = -3.97, p < .001. Qualitative analysis yielded two overarching themes: the benefits and the challenges of mindfulness meditation for students. Meditation is a cognitive-behavioral intervention that allows vulnerable students to enhance psychosocial, cognitive, and behavioral strengths. / text

published_or_final_version / Mental Health / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Tertiary institutions in South Africa have become culturally diverse and the question of the counseling services available to students from diverse cultural backgrounds is inevitable. The study investigated the views of different stakeholders of the University of KwaZulu–Natal (UKZN) on the incorporation of traditional healing into student counseling services. In-depth, open ended interviews and focus group discussions were held with purposefully-chosen students, psychologists, a traditional healer and deans of student services. Data were analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. The participants highlighted the potential usefulness of traditional healing especially in dealing with culture-bound syndromes and students’ identity issues. The logistics of having traditional healing services in spaces modeled along Western influences, as well as ethical issues were identified as the main challenges. The findings are discussed in relation to indigenous knowledge systems and the constitutional imperatives on cultural diversity. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the prevalence of mental illness in a nonrandom sample of undergraduate female Emirati students in the United Arab Emirates. In addition, students’ views and attitudes towards counselling were solicited. One hundred and twenty-three women completed Golberg and Hillier’s (1979) 28-item scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). The GHQ-28 revealed a high prevalence of mental illness (51%) among the students surveyed, using a GHQ-28 threshold of eight. Furthermore, students reported they held favourable views towards counselling despite never having sought counselling services. The differences between American/European and Arab views of mental illness are explored as one of several limitations to this study. Recommendations for future research are noted. / xii, 117 leaves ; 29 cm

Outreach is recommended as an intervention for racial and ethnic minorities who underutilize traditional mental health services (e.g., Brinson & Kottler, 1995). Yet, the availability of outreach services at university counseling centers for students of color has not been studied. In addition, no study has examined factors influencing the availability of outreach services for racial and ethnic minorities. The primary purpose of the current study was to investigate the availability of outreach for racial and ethnic minorities and how these services are influenced by institution size, staff size, institution type, accreditation, and organizational cultural competence. One hundred and fifty one counseling center directors completed an online survey. It was hypothesized that counseling centers’ organizational cultural competence would predict the availability of outreach services for racial and ethnic minorities beyond that of institution size, staff size, institution type, and accreditation. The results supported this hypothesis. Among the variables examined, organizational cultural competence was the greatest predictor of the availability of outreach for students of color. The results suggested that counseling centers with greater levels of organizational cultural competency also had a greater availability of outreach services for students of color. The implications of these findings for theory, research, and practice are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services