Date of Award

8-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

Psychology

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Jazmin Reyes-Portillo

Committee Member

Anat Brunstein-Klomek

Committee Member

Jeremy K. Fox

Committee Member

Carrie Masia

Abstract

The frequency of help-seeking behaviors among Latinx college students is low. Latinx college students are at an elevated risk for mental health problems, such as suicide ideation and behaviors, and there is an urgent need to understand the factors that most influence help-seeking in this population. This study aimed to understand how factors such as help-seeking intentions, suicide literacy, perceived need for help and levels of acculturation relate to help-seeking behaviors, as well as how these associations differed between formal and online sources of help among Latinx college students. Furthermore, this study assessed whether these relationships were moderated by an individual’s level of acculturation. The current study capitalized on data collected as part of a larger survey of college students’ (n=858) mental health at a public university. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the study hypotheses. Perceived need for help was the most robust predictor of help-seeking behaviors. Notable differences emerged between correlates of formal and online help-seeking behaviors among high-risk and low-risk Latinx students. Clinical implications and future directions for research are also discussed.

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