How Do the Attitudes and Beliefs Towards Mental Health- Seeking Behaviour Differ Between Racialized and Non-Racialized Students in a University Environment?

The purpose of this research study was to explore the perceptions of racialized and non-racialized students at York Universitys Keele campus towards seeking help for mental health problems. A convenience sample consisting of 491 students participated in the cross-sectional survey. The majority (n = 413, 84.1%) were identified as Canadian racialized, mainly Asian, South Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and African students. The remainder (n = 78, 15.9%) were Canadian non-racialized, (English, French, Italian and Portuguese) students identifying with dominant Canadian culture. Most of the students (n = 77.4%) were female. All of the participants completed the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Help Scale; Beliefs About Psychological Services Scale; Vancouver Index of Acculturation; Race-Related Events Scale; Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Attitudes and intentions toward seeking help were more negative among the racialized students. A higher level of stigma was also a predictor of negative attitudes and lower intentions towards seeking mental health counseling amongst the racialized group. Stigmatization among the racialized and non-racialized male students was higher than among the female students. The older racialized students tended to have higher positive scores for attitudes toward seeking help than younger students. Attitudes toward seeking help were more positive among the students who lived with their families. Previous mental diagnosis was also a significant predictor of attitudes toward seeking help. Very few racialized and non-racialized students used the counselling services or the online information system at York university to obtain information on mental health issues. The findings of this research study advocate university governance, healthcare professionals, and counsellors need to improve their services to address the specific needs and concerns of racialized students. Future research should focus on how findings can be translated into practice by designing culturally adaptive treatment modalities, including electronic media, that focus on resolving mental health problems among racialized and non-racialized students.