Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

College students face a multitude of stressors that have been found to significantly impact mental health, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and substance use problems (Hubbard et al., 2018; American College Health Association 2022a; American College Health Association 2022b). Despite a rising concern regarding mental health, over 70% of college students denied seeking mental health treatment in the past year (American College Health Association, 2022b). Psychological flexibility could be an area of intervention because it has been found to be negatively associated with psychological distress and positively associated with mental health service seeking (Christodoulou et al., 2021; Komiya et al., 2000; Masuda & Tully, 2011). The purpose of this thesis was to explore the relationship between structural barriers, attitudinal barriers, stigma, and psychological flexibility on the likelihood of seeking mental health treatment in college students. The results (N = 102) found that structural/attitudinal barriers, self-stigma, and public stigma was negatively correlated with likelihood of seeking mental health treatment, as consistent with previous literature (Bathje & Pryor, 2011; Ebert et al., 2018; Nordberg et al., 2013; Walker et al., 2015). Further, psychological flexibility predicted the propensity to seek mental health treatment above and beyond these established predictors (Komiya et al., 2000). Psychological flexibility did not moderate the relationship between these barriers and likelihood of seeking mental health treatment, but robust evidence of a conditional effect of psychological flexibility was found. Clinical implications, limitations, and avenues for future research are discussed.

Year manuscript completed

2023

Year degree awarded

2023

Author's Keywords

Psychological flexibility, mental health treatment, structural barriers, attitudinal barriers, stigma

Thesis Advisor

Michael Bordieri

Committee Chair

Michael Bordieri

Committee Member

Laura Liljequist

Committee Member

Esther Malm

Committee Member

Justin Brogan

Document Type

Thesis

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