ABSTRACT
Objective: Most college students have experienced an adverse event in their lifetime, yet help-seeking rates remain low. This study seeks to understand psychological factors that might contribute to delays in treatment initiation among trauma-affected students. Participants: Our sample consisted of 531 undergraduate students of which 27% scored above the clinical cutoff for PTSD using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Methods: This cross-sectional study explored relationships among help-seeking attitudes, emotion dysregulation, and PTSD symptoms using structural equation modeling. Results: Findings demonstrated that individuals with more severe emotion dysregulation had more severe PTSD symptoms and held more negative attitudes toward seeking help. Conclusions: Individuals who are the most in need of treatment hold attitudes that may impede help-seeking. We discuss clinical implications and ways college counseling centers can maximize outreach and programming efforts to increase treatment initiation and engagement.
Subject(s)
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic , Humans , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/diagnosis , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/therapy , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/psychology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Students/psychology , Universities , Attitude , EmotionsSubject(s)
COVID-19 , Mental Health , Health Personnel , Hospitals , Humans , Personnel, Hospital , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 crisis has created a "mental health pandemic" throughout the world. Scientific data are not available to fully understand the nature of the resulting mental health impact given the very recent onset of the pandemic, nevertheless, there is a need to act immediately to develop psychotherapeutic strategies that may alleviate pandemic-related distress. The psychological distress, in particular fear and sadness, is a function of the pandemic's negative impact upon people's ability to meet their most basic needs (e.g., physical safety, financial security, social connection, participation in meaningful activities). This paper presents evidence-based cognitive behavioral strategies that should prove useful in reducing the emotional suffering associated with the COVID crisis.
ABSTRACT
Suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior are common after experiencing a sexual assault. Therefore, it is imperative to assess for and manage suicidal ideation using evidence-based techniques after a sexual assault medical forensic examination (SAMFE). We assessed factors associated with higher suicidal ideation identified in a post-SAMFE mental health screening conducted over the phone and strategies to manage suicide risk. We also discuss three case examples and unique considerations when assessing post-SAMFE suicide risk. It was found that among individuals who completed a post-SAMFE screen, individuals who have been previously hospitalized for a mental health problem, who had higher acute stress symptoms, and who were homeless reported more suicidal ideation than those without those histories or symptom presentations. No matter the risk factors for suicidal ideation post-SAMFE, it is essential to screen all individuals post-SAMFE due to their high risk for suicidal ideation and death by suicide.
