Psychosocial Predictors of Current Counseling/Therapy Use in College Students

Date

2019

Authors

Rouska, Ashton
Knight, Cory
Soto, Andrew
McNaughton-Cassill, Mary

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Publisher

Office of the Vice President for Research

Abstract

Findings from the Center of Collegiate Mental Health (2017) suggest that anxiety and depression are the most prevalent psychosocial stressors affecting college students today. Other frequently reported problems include general stress (Beiter et al., 2015), difficulty sleeping (Gress‐Smith, Roubinov, Andreotti, Compas, & Luecken, 2015), homesickness (Sun & Hagedorn, 2016), and in some cases, suicidal behavior (Milazzo-Sayre, McKeon, & Hughes, 2016). Protective factors such as a supportive university environment might increase counseling attendance (Prince, 2015), but additional research is needed. Finally, demographic factors might contribute to current counseling/therapy use in a meaningful way (Wang & Castañeda‐Sound, 2008). The aim of the current study is to examine which psychosocial stressors increase the likelihood of college students attending counseling/therapy. We hypothesized that students with depression or anxiety would be the most likely to currently use counseling/therapy services, followed by insomnia, homesickness, stress, and suicidal behavior. Finally, students who felt supported by their university environment, would be more likely to use counseling/therapy.

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Department

Psychology