Citation

Kruger E, Pitts SC, Denenny D, DeLuca JS, Schiffman J. J. Am. Coll. Health 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07448481.2020.1842417

PMID

33253017

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Untreated mental health (MH) concerns have significant implications for college students. This study examined the efficacy of a video contact intervention targeting students' intentions to seek counseling. Participants: One-hundred and sixty-three college students (Mage = 21.05, SD = 2.20) from a Mid-Atlantic university participated. The sample was predominantly female (74%).

METHOD: Students were randomly assigned to view a student-targeted contact video (ie, clips from college students who share their mental health experiences), a MH comparison contact video, or a non-MH comparison video. Intentions to seek counseling and psychological distress were measured pretest and post-test.

RESULTS: Intentions to seek counseling significantly increased from pretest to post-test in the student-targeted contact video condition (F[1, 156] = 22.75, p <.001, partial η2 =.13), but not in the comparison conditions. Further, this effect was only observed among participants who reported preexisting psychological distress (F[1, 153] = 28.00, p <.001, partial η2 =.16).

CONCLUSIONS: This study provides initial support for the utility of a student-targeted contact intervention video for increasing help-seeking intentions among those reporting current psychological distress.

Language: en

Keywords

psychological distress; Intentions to seek counseling; mental illness stigma; treatment seeking; video contact