Help-seeking beliefs for mental disorders among medical and nursing students

The impact of family history of mental illness on mental health help seeking in university students

BACKGROUND

University students with a family history of mental illness may have an increased risk of developing mental health problems.

AIMS

The aim of the study was to assess differences in mental health help seeking among students with a family history of mental illness compared to those without a family history.

METHODS

A total of 1127 university students, aged 18 to 30 years, completed an online survey with questions about mental illness, family history of mental illness, help seeking, and psychological symptoms.

RESULTS

Students with a family history of mental illness were more likely to report clinically significant symptoms and more likely to use social media and online support programs. They reported similar rates of in-person help seeking. Those with more than one family member with a mental illness reported greater symptom severity, more use of online programs, and increased likelihood of prescription drug use than those with only one family member.

CONCLUSIONS

More research is needed to understand how to increase access to mental health care and to address barriers to help-seeking considering family history of mental illness. University students may not be accessing appropriate treatment and care as required, with the rates of in-person help-seeking being low overall.

Examining factors that drive health-related students to seek help for psychological challenges

Objectives

This study aims to find the prevalence of mental health problems and the rates of seeking mental health care among health-related students, as well as identifying factors associated with seeking mental health care.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among students from the Faculty of Medicine at a university in the 2021 academic year. A total of 832 students voluntarily completed an online survey measuring mental health problems and factors influencing mental health care seeking. Descriptive and analytic statistics including t-test, Pearson's chi-square test, and binary logistic regression analysis, were used to analyze the data.

Results

Among the participants, 46.80% (n = 389) reported experiencing mental health problems, but only 16.97% (n = 66) of them sought mental health care. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that female (OR = 2.63 (1.08 - 6.43)) and LGBTQ (OR = 4.26 (1.36 - 13.37)) students, and those with a positive attitude toward professionals (OR = 1.10 (1.02 - 0.19)), were more likely to seek formal mental health care than those who did not.

Conclusions

The study findings indicate that mental health problems are prevalent among health-related students, yet formal mental health care uptake is low. To address this issue, mental health screening programs, improved knowledge and attitudes about mental health care, and mental health training for academic staffs who work with health-related students are necessary. Future studies should explore interventions to increase the uptake of mental health services among health-related students.

Views of Schizophrenia Among Future Healthcare Professionals: Differences in Relation to Diagnostic Labelling, Causal Explanations, and Type of Academic Degree Program

OBJECTIVE

Stereotyped beliefs about schizophrenia are well-established in the society and relatively common among healthcare professionals and students. The aim of this study was to investigate the opinions about the causes, treatment, and outcome of schizophrenia among healthcare students.

METHOD

Undergraduate nursing and psychology students completed selected items of the Opinion on Mental Illness Questionnaire after reading a clinical vignette of undiagnosed schizophrenia.

RESULTS

Students who labelled the description as schizophrenia were more pessimistic regarding full recovery from the disorder. Those who acknowledged greater relevance to biogenetic risk factors were more convinced of the efficacy of medications. Respondents' opinions on the efficacy of psychological interventions were more positive among psychology students than among nursing students.

CONCLUSIONS

The study confirmed the associations of schizophrenia labelling with prognostic pessimism and beliefs about the efficacy of pharmacological treatment among future healthcare professionals. Students' opinions were less influenced by differences between academic degree programs. Information about current recovery rate and comprehensive care for schizophrenia may support future healthcare professionals in the relationship and the clinical management of PWS.

Virtual Simulation in Undergraduate Nursing Education: Effects on Students' Correct Recognition of and Causative Beliefs About Mental Disorders

Virtual simulation as an emerging nursing pedagogy can facilitate optimal learning through the use of experiential learning and technology. The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to assess the long-term effects of virtual simulation on undergraduate nursing students' recognition of and causative beliefs about depression and schizophrenia. Students' responses from the simulation cohort (n = 149) and the nonsimulation cohort (n = 150) at a school of nursing in the United States were compared. While students' responses were fairly similar between the two cohorts, students who received virtual simulations more often rated character weakness as an unlikely cause for schizophrenia than those who did not receive virtual simulations. The major difference supports the use of virtual simulation in influencing positive changes in nursing students' perceptions and attitudes toward mental illness.

The Effects of Virtual Simulation on Undergraduate Nursing Students' Mental Health Literacy: A Prospective Cohort Study

This prospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of virtual simulation on nursing education by measuring undergraduate nursing students' mental health literacy. Students' beliefs about the helpfulness of specific interventions for managing depression and schizophrenia were compared between the simulation cohort (n = 149) and the non-simulation cohort (n = 150) from a school of nursing in the U.S. Students in the simulation cohort showed significant increase in knowledge and acceptance of available treatment options for managing depression and schizophrenia over a one-year period. The finding supports the use of virtual simulation in undergraduate mental health nursing education with active faculty engagement.

Recognition of Depression and Help-Seeking Preference Among University Students in Singapore: An Evaluation of the Impact of Advancing Research to Eliminate Mental Illness Stigma an Education and Contact Intervention

Background: The SMHS 2016 revealed that young adults in Singapore had the highest 12-month prevalence of mental disorders, with depression being the most prevalent condition. Additionally, the study found that those with higher education were less likely to seek treatment. The recognition of mental illness and knowledge of where to seek help has been found to influence one's ability to seek timely psychological help. This study thus aims to evaluate the effects of ARTEMIS, an education and contact intervention on university students' recognition of depression and help-seeking preference. Methods: A total of 390 university students were recruited over a period of 6-months (October 2018 to April 2019). Students had to attend a one-off intervention which comprised a lecture on depression and personal contact with a person with lived experience of mental illness. Recognition of depression and help-seeking preference were assessed using a vignette approach, at pre- and post-intervention as well as at 3-month follow-up. Results: The intervention was effective at improving student's recognition of depression and this effect was sustained at 3-months follow-up. The intervention was also effective in shifting student's help-seeking preference, although the effects were not sustained at 3-month follow-up. Having a close friend or family with mental illness was associated with better recognition, and being able to correctly recognize depression was linked to a preference to seek psychiatric over non-psychiatric help. Conclusion: This study elucidated the efficacy of a knowledge-contact-based intervention in improving university students' recognition of depression and help-seeking preference. However, while the benefits on recognition of depression is more enduring, it is more transient for help-seeking beliefs, and booster sessions may be needed to improve the long-term effectiveness of the intervention on help-seeking preference. Lastly, to investigate the generalizability of this study's findings, future studies could replicate the current one across other non-self-selected samples, such as by integrating the intervention as part of student's orientation.

Help-seeking beliefs for mental disorders among medical and nursing students

AIM

The current study aimed to investigate beliefs about help-seeking, treatment options and expected outcomes for people with alcohol abuse, dementia, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia, using a vignette-based approach, among a sample of nursing and medical students.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional online study among medical and nursing students (n = 1002) who were randomly assigned 1 of 5 vignettes. Questions were asked about whom could best help the person in the vignette, the likely helpfulness of a broad range of interventions, and the likely outcome for the person in the vignette with and without appropriate help.

RESULTS

A total of 45.1% of students recommended seeing a psychiatrist, which was the most common source of help reported for all 5 vignettes. Help-seeking preferences were significantly associated with age, academic year and vignette type. Respondents rated seeing a psychiatrist as the most helpful intervention (92.4%) and dealing with the problem on their own as the most harmful (68.1%). Then, 81.5% of students indicated that the condition of the person in the vignette would worsen if appropriate help was not sought.

CONCLUSION

Medical and nursing students most commonly recommended seeking help from a psychiatrist for mental health-related problems, where help-seeking preferences were associated with various age, academic year and vignette type. As these students will be the future medical and nursing workforce, they need to be equipped with the skills and ability to recognize signs and symptoms of mental illness, to aid timely and appropriate treatment for people with mental illness.