Graduation Year

2015

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

Education

Degree Granting Department

Adult, Career and Higher Education

Major Professor

Herbert Exum, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Carlos Zalaquett, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jeffrey Kromrey, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Tony Tan, Ed.D.

Keywords

College students, Counseling, Counselor Education, Generations, Internet, Online Counseling

Abstract

Millennial-aged young adults, often referred to as “digital natives,” comprise the typical college-age population, and there has been a growing number college students at risk for mental health problems (Mowbray, Mandiberg, Stein, Kopels, Curlin, Megivern, Strauss, Collins & Lett, 2006; Eisenberg, Gollust, Golberstein & Hefner, 2007). Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students (Suicide Statistics, 2014); however, their rate of utilizing mental heath counseling is decreasing. Providing the types of mental health services college students are likely to use can mitigate factors thought to impede their use (e.g., stigma, anonymity, confidentiality), as well as help improve students’ learning and success and reduce college attrition rates.

Minimal research has been conducted on undergraduate college students’ attitudes about Internet-based mental health interventions, and the findings from those studies are conflicting. This study attempts to fill in the missing data to address undergraduate students’ attitudes about several types Internet-based of mental health counseling, and to determine the extent of their familiarity with its terminology.

Forty-two undergraduate college students participated in a survey where they were asked about their familiarity with Internet-based mental health interventions, experience with and preferences for mental health counseling, and the availability of campus-based Internet mental health interventions. Quantitative data was collected, and descriptive statistics and chi square test of independence were calculated. The students’ familiarity with Internet-based mental health interventions did not influence their use of counseling services, but they were interested in knowing more about mental health-related cell phone apps. Other findings are discussed, conclusions are drawn, and recommendations for future study and implications for the field are included.

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