Introduction: Unfortunately, research examining help-seeking for suicide is limited. This study examined age, race, gender, suicide risk severity, and perceived stigma as predictors of formal and informal help-seeking behaviors individuals engage in during suicidal crises, and explored perceived stigma as a moderator of the relationship between risk severity and help-seeking. Method: Data from 80 college students who had experienced a past suicidal crisis were analyzed using two moderation analyses. Results: Rates of formal (67.5%) and informal (86.2%) help-seeking were high in the study sample. Higher suicide risk severity was positively associated with formal help-seeking (b = 0.16, SE = 0.06, p = 0.001), while gender minority status was negatively associated with formal help-seeking (b = -0.80, SE = 0.33, p = 0.018). None of the other relationships examined were statistically significant. Discussion: Findings highlight the importance of educating health care providers and community members alike on how to provide useful assistance to people experiencing suicidal crises.

In this qualitative research study, I share first-generation college students' help-seeking experiences with writing tasks and use an affective lens to investigate how first-generation students feel when navigating various help-seeking situations. Often, students' experiences and emotions highlight their commitments to independence. In this study, I found that students' feelings of insecurity and confidence both encouraged and discouraged help seeking with writing, that students expressed determination as a central affect when describing their commitment to independence, and that loneliness is a significant affect in regards to writing help seeking and independence. These findings provide writing center faculty and tutors and first-year composition instructors a framework for interpreting first-generation college students' expressions of confidence, insecurity, and determination. Using this framework, I give suggestions on effectively responding to the help seeking of first-generation students.

Bakgrund: ​​Män världen över är överrepresenterade i statistiken över ​fullbordade suicid. Män söker sällan vård för suicidala tankar och vården har stora utmaningar i mötet med dessa. Sjuksköterskans bemötande kan ha en betydande roll i huruvida dessa män tar emot vårdens hjälp eller ej. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva mäns erfarenheter av att söka hjälp vid suicidtankar. Metod: En litteraturöversikt gjordes bestående av tio vetenskapliga artiklar av kvalitativ och mixad metod. Artiklarna söktes fram i databaserna Cinahl Complete, PubMED och PsycINFO. Tematiseringen i dataanalysen baserades på likheter mellan artiklarnas resultat. Resultat: Utifrån litteraturöversikten kunde tre huvudteman utrönas. Det första temat; Den tysta bördan: Maskulinitet och det dolda lidandet, berör männens bild av maskulinitet och hur den kan utgöra ett hinder för männen att söka hjälp. Det andra temat; Kommunikationsklyftan: Mäns tystnad och vårdens bristande lyhördhet, behandlar erfarenheter av möten med vården som männen rapporterade i artiklarna och vilka hinder dessa erfarenheter utgjorde för vård. Det tredje temat; Från tystnad till frihet: Mäns resa mot att öppna upp sig, lyfter de erfarenheter där vården eller personer i männens närhet lyckas nå fram med det stöd de behövde. Slutsats: ​​Män med suicidtankar stöter på hinder i sin resa mot att få hjälp, mestadels relaterade till deras självbild och normer kring maskulinitet samt brister i vården. När de dock upplever genuin kontakt och tillit, antingen privat eller i vården, ökar chanserna för återhämtning. Sjuksköterskor spelar en viktig roll genom att använda ett personcentrerat förhållningssätt för att nå individen bakom suicidtankarna och tillgodose deras behov för att främja hälsa.​ / Background: Men worldwide are overrepresented in statistics on completed suicide. At the same time, women report more frequent suicide attempts and self-harming behavior. Men rarely seek care for suicidal thoughts, and healthcare faces significant challenges in dealing with them. The nurse's approach can play a significant role in whether these men accept the help of healthcare or not. Aim: The aim was to describe men's experiences of help-seeking for suicidal thoughts. Method: A literature review was conducted consisting of ten scientific articles of qualitative and mixed method. The articles were retrieved from the databases Cinahl Complete, PubMed, and PsycINFO. The thematic analysis in data analysis was based on similarities between the results of the articles. Results: Based on the literature review, three main themes emerged. The first theme; The silent burden: Masculinity and the hidden suffering, addresses men's perception of masculinity and how it can hinder them from seeking help. The second theme; The communication gap: Men's silence and healthcare's lack of responsiveness, discusses the experiences of men in their interactions with healthcare professionals as reported in the articles and the obstacles these experiences posed to receiving care. The third theme; From silence to freedom: Men's journey to opening up, highlights experiences where healthcare or individuals in the men's surroundings successfully provided the support they needed. Conclusions: ​​Men experiencing suicidal thoughts encounter obstacles in their help-seeking journey, mainly related to their self-image and norms surrounding masculinity, as well as shortcomings in healthcare. However, when they experience genuine connection and trust, either privately or within healthcare settings, the chances of recovery increase. Nurses play a crucial role by employing a person-centered approach to reach the individual behind the suicidal thoughts and meet their needs to promote health.​

The purpose of this study is to determine social factors that influence help seeking behaviors by mothers who are concurrently involved in two social service systems: Child Protective Services (CPS) and family violence advocacy programs. Through the application of the behavioral model (of service use) for vulnerable populations, this study seeks to determine predisposing, enabling and need characteristics that impact help seeking behaviors at a family violence agency after participation in an ADVANCE (Acknowledging Domestic Violence and Navigating Child Protection Effectively) course, a group intervention class developed specifically for women involved with CPS. The research design is a mixed-method approach with an ADVANCE course evaluation embedded within the overall analysis of help seeking behaviors. The analytic strategies include pre-test/post-test means comparisons through paired t-tests, qualitative thematic analysis through arts-based methodology, and ordinary least squares and logistic regression analysis. This study considers six outcome variables related to protective help seeking behaviors: seeking services, seeking protective actions related to children, seeking a safety plan, seeking a protective order, seeking safe housing, and seeking financial independence. Several social factors identified influenced help seeking behaviors amongst child welfare involved women experiencing violence, namely, number of children, age of children, level of interest in services, previous participation in services, level of social support, perceived victim status, perceived need for a safety plan, and perceived need for change in family. This study should serve to enhance intervention practices utilized by both family violence advocates and child welfare professionals.

Emerging adulthood is a term coined to recognize 18 to 25 year-olds who engage in self-exploration while not yet fully identifying as adults. Many emerging adult college students experience stress, anxiety, and depression. Although many colleges provide affordable and available mental health resources for students, many students who need help appear to not utilize these services. Gaining greater understanding of underlying processes that influence psychological treatment-seeking behavior is imperative. The current study sought to explore the role experiential avoidance (EA) plays as a treatment-seeking barrier in the context of emerging adulthood. Undergraduate students completed online measures of emerging adulthood dimensions, psychological symptoms, EA, self-stigma of, perceived public stigma of, intentions to, and attitudes and beliefs towards seeking treatment, treatment seeking behavior, and a demographics questionnaire. Binomial hierarchical logistic regressions and correlational analyses examined the relationship of EA and treatment-seeking behaviors, accounting for known barriers and emerging adult characteristics. After controlling for demographic variables, results indicated that EA was significantly positively correlated with self-stigma (r = .187), p < .001), perceived public stigma (r = .178, p < .001), intentions (r - .207, p < .001), psychological symptoms (r = .713, p < .001), and attitudes and beliefs (r = .009, p = .003). These and other findings are discussed further, along with the study limitations and implications, as well as possible future directions for work in this area.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This study explored the relationship between cultural mistrust level and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. It was hypothesized that Blacks with high levels of cultural mistrust, when compared to those with low levels, would show less favorable attitudes toward seeking formal help for psychological problems. Black students were administered the Cultural Mistrust Inventory, Help-Seeking Attitude Scale, Reid-Gundlach Social Service Satisfaction Scale, and Opinions About Mental Illness Scale. Using a 2 (gender) X 2 (mistrust level) MANCOVA, a main effect for the factor of mistrust level was found along with a mistrust level by gender interaction. Students with higher levels of cultural mistrust were found to hold less favorable attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help when compared to students with lower levels of cultural mistrust.

The diploma thesis is devoted to the area of mental health problems / mental illnesses as a possible topic of general primary prevention in the school environment. It points out, that the mental health and illness is not being systematically solved. In the area of primary prevention is not given the kind of attention it deserves. In the theoretical part, basic notions are defined first, such as mental health and illness, risk behavior, stigma and prevention. The focus is on the period of adolescence and the perspective of possible links between risky behaviors and mental health problems/illnesses. The theoretical part of the work is also centered on the coping strategies of adolescents and the area of general primary prevention of risk behavior in the current concept of the Ministry of Education. That includes ensuring and controlling the quality and effectiveness of primary prevention programs. In brief, follow-up care - supported education and early intervention is discussed. The aim of the work is to map the relation of the needs of young people with mental illnesses and primary prevention. In addition, the findings will be a base for recommendations how to incorporate the topic of mental health and illness into the existing system of primary prevention. The methodology is based on a qualitative research...

Background Self-harm is a major and growing public health issue among young people worldwide. Self-harm is an important risk factor for suicide, which is one of the leading causes of death for young people. Although suicide rates are declining overall, this trend is not seen in young people. Young people with mental distress and/or suicidal thoughts are reluctant to seek help, and often drop out of treatment initiated after a self-harm episode. Many young people who self-harm have had contact with healthcare before their first self-harm episode, but often for reasons other than suicidal thoughts or psychiatric problems. In this context, physical illness is associated with increased risk for self-harm and suicide among young people. The present thesis investigated how young people perceived the help and support they received before and after an episode of self-harm. A further aim was to map the inpatient somatic healthcare contacts young patients had before an episode of self-harm, and determine any relationship to risk for self-harm and suicide. Method Four studies were conducted using qualitative and quantitative methods. Participants were people aged 16-24 years. The definition of self-harm was based on the intentional self-harm criteria in the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision, which includes all forms of self-harm without ascribing suicidal intent. In the first two studies, 10 respective 9 participants with a first healthcare contact for self-harm were interviewed during 2009-2011. The interviews covered participants’ knowledge and experience of professional care before their healthcare contact for self-harm. Participants were interviewed a second time 6 months later about their experiences with professional care during the period since their initial interview. Qualitative content analysis was used for all interviews. For the next two studies, we selected 16,235 participants with a first hospitalisation for self-harm during 1999-2009 from the Swedish National Inpatient Register. These cases were compared with matched controls to determine the odds of having been admitted with a non-psychiatric diagnosis during the year preceding the self-harm admission. To assess risk for suicide, data were retrieved from the Swedish Cause of Death Register for all deceased participants until 2013, and group differences were determined using survival analysis. Results In the first interview, participants described how they wanted more information on where they could turn for professional help. They also wanted different help-seeking pathways and emphasised the importance of the quality of professional contact. After 6 months, participants stressed the importance of being able to rely on professionals and treatment. Their life circumstances significantly affected their treatment, and practical help was appreciated. The register studies showed that young people admitted for self-harm were more likely to have been hospitalised with symptomatic diagnoses such as abdominal pain and syncope/collapse, and somatic illnesses such as epilepsy and diabetes mellitus type 1. A higher proportion of cases (4.5%; women 2.6%, men 8.8%) died during the study period than controls (0.3%; women 0.2%, men 0.6%) (p&lt;0.001). For both cases and controls, a higher proportion of those with a previous somatic admission died from suicide during the study period than those without a somatic admission (cases: 4.2% vs. 2.8%, p&lt;0.05). For cases with a somatic admission, the hazard ratio was 1.43 (95% confidence interval 1.04-1.98) compared with those without somatic admissions (controlled for age, sex and psychiatric admission). Survival of cases with a previous somatic admission compared with those without was 98.4% versus 99.2% after the first year, 97.8% versus 98.9% after the second year, and 95.5% versus 96.9% after the tenth year. Conclusion These findings suggest that healthcare providers need to find new ways to reach young people at risk for suicidal behaviour. Access to professional help should be easy and direct. Treatment for young people after self-harm should be flexible, and be receptive to input from the patient. The importance of and need for basic practical help should not be overlooked. Somatic healthcare contact provides an opportunity for intervention, particularly as psychiatric problems can manifest as physical symptoms, and physical illness is a risk factor for self-harm and suicide.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work