Three teenagers with autism were taught to respond to a vibrating pager to seek assistance in community settings when physically separated from their parents or teachers. A multiple baseline probe design across participants demonstrated that, upon being paged, participants successfully handed a communication card to a community member indicating…

This article explores the experience of domestic violence and utilization of domestic violence resources among immigrant women who were Russian speaking. Participants, many of whom came to the United States as so-called mail-order brides, reported diverse forms of abuse, including isolation and financial restrictions, and were reluctant to get…

Reviews literature on the changing mental health needs of today's college students and challenges posed by both the growing number of students with serious psychological problems on campus and the increased number of student seeking counseling. Implications for students, faculty, staff, and the institution are discussed along with strategies for…

The structure of lay people's concepts of childhood mental disorder was investigated in a questionnaire study and examined for convergence with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV). Eighty-four undergraduates who had no formal education in abnormal psychology rated 54 conditions--36 DSM-IV childhood disorders and 18 non-disorders--on…

To give effective and efficient advice to laypersons, experts should adapt their explanations to the layperson's knowledge. However, experts often fail to consider the limited domain knowledge of laypersons. To support adaptation in asynchronous help desk communication, researchers provided computer experts with information about a layperson's…

While literature suggests that college students may be less reluctant to seek help in online rather than traditional courses, little is known about how online instructors give help in ways that lead to increased student help seeking and academic success. In this study, we used theories and research on learning assistance and scaffolding, teacher…

Drawing from attitude-behavior research tradition, this study used a national probabilistic sample of the Spanish adult population (N = 2,432) to test hypotheses regarding correlates of public attitudes toward reporting partner violence against women, and the relationship between attitudes toward reporting and actual reporting behavior. Results…

The 2 studies reported here use observational data from message boards to investigate how adolescents solicit and share information related to self-injurious behavior. Study 1 examines the prevalence and nature of these message boards, their users, and most commonly discussed topics. Study 2 was intended to explore the correlations between content…

Research consistently shows that college students who take advantage of supports and accommodations perform better academically. The literature is not clear, however, on whether college students with disabilities seek help more or less frequently than their peers without disabilities. One major form of help is consulting with professors outside of…

Statistics suggest a steady increase in the number of international students attending universities in the U.S. However, limited information is available to guide professionals in the delivery of effective mental health services to this diverse group. University counseling centers have repeatedly reported little to no success with international…

While adolescents tend to under-use professional mental health services for depression, they informally seek health-related information from parents and peers. In this study, we interviewed 15 adolescents to examine how the views and behaviours of others influence teens' decisions about seeking care for depression. Using a grounded theory…

This digest addresses one of the most recognized, yet unofficial, special populations on college campuses nationwide-- college student athletes. It is proposed that misconceptions and stereotypical viewpoints have hindered the development of effective counseling interventions with this population. Although college counseling centers are available,…

Using a sample of 30 African American adolescents, explores the relationship between self-esteem and participation in a supportive prenatal care program designed specifically for this age group. Findings indicate no significant relationship between the overall self-esteem construct and use of prenatal care services. (GR)

Study examined the role of social support in moderating the relationship between psychological distress and willingness to seek psychological help in 158 Black and Latino college students from a large, predominantly White university. Authors found that a social support network served as a significant moderator for Black college students but not…

Highlights the Openness to Therapy Assessment (OTA), a test designed to help clients entering therapy to feel more comfortable. The OTA includes such issues as confidentiality, feeling hopeless, feeling ashamed of going to a therapist, and being afraid of going for therapy. The self-evaluation also includes how to deal with these fears. (GCP)