Factors Associated with College Students’ Propensity toward Mental Health Service Utilization on Historically Black Colleges and University Campuses

Abstract

Factors Associated with College Students’ Propensity toward Mental Health Service Utilization on Historically Black Colleges and University Campuses Alex D. Colvin, PhD, LMSW; Angela N. Bullock, PhD, LMSW; Takeisha George, PhD, LMSW Abstract This study investigated attitudes towards help-seeking among students on Historically Black University (HBCU) campuses. The sample included 407 students between the ages of 18 and 31 attending an HBCU. The Attitude toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS) by Fisher and Turner (1970) was used as the data collection tool. In the data analysis, the following descriptive analyses were used: analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the mean values of more than two groups; independent samples t-tests were used to compare the mean values of the two groups in normal distribution; and Turkey’s test was run to perform a post hoc analysis. This research indicates that there are statistically significant relationships between student demographics in terms of age, gender, and classification level and students’ attitudes towards help-seeking. These findings may be helpful to university professionals and policy-planners in addressing the decision-making challenges facing African American students regarding their utilization of campus-based mental health services. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jssw.v4n1a2