Beliefs about psychological services held by the Reserve Officers' Training Corps population

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Authors
Jackson, Matthew S.
Advisor
Kruczek, Theresa A.
Issue Date
2011-07-23
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (M.A.)
Department
Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services
Other Identifiers
Abstract

Past research has shown that members of the military have less favorable beliefs regarding mental health services. To date, no known research has been conducted examining the beliefs about psychological services of students enrolled in ROTC. 136 undergraduate students participated in a study in which the beliefs about psychological services of students in a ROTC program were compared with students in the general college population. Participants completed the Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS) scale online. This scale consisted of three subscales that were analyzed independently; Expertness, Stigma Tolerance, and Intent. Results showed that the main effect of ROTC participation on all three subscales of BAPS was significant at the p ≤ 0.005 level. These results suggested that students enrolled in ROTC may have less favorable beliefs about psychological services than students in the general college population. Limitations of the study were discussed and directions for future research include: replication of the findings of this study, the use of a larger and more diverse sample, and the development of methods to improve ROTC students beliefs about psychological services in order to increase the chances of these individuals seeking necessary mental health treatment.

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