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College

College of Arts and Sciences

Major

Psychology

Faculty Mentor

Michael Spinetta, PhD

Faculty Editor

Michael Spinetta, PhD

Student Editor

Oliver Tufte

Abstract

Mental health issues, psychological distress, and suicidal ideation in college students have been on the rise in recent years. As a result, student intention and utilization of mental health services has dramatically increased, and many college and university campuses are unable to keep up with the growing demand. There are many variables that may influence the help-seeking intentions and behaviors of undergraduate college students, and pervious literature on the subject has primarily examined the role of attitude, stigma, mental health literacy, and perceived need. Very few studies have specifically examined the role of living situation, campus culture, and connectedness to campus on help-seeking intentions and behaviors. The goal of the present study was to examine the relationship between living on or off campus and help-seeking behaviors among undergraduate college students. Help-seeking is often indicative of underlying psychological distress, so the secondary goals of this study aimed to examine various relationships between demographic variables (like sexual orientation and age), perceived stress, perception of coping mechanisms, help-seeking, and perception of barriers to psychological resources. Findings suggest that living on or off campus has no effect on help-seeking; however, the results indicate relationships between help-seeking, barriers to resources, and coping mechanisms.

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