Browsing by Author "Szeto, Andrew C. H."

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Campus Mental Health: How Stigma Affects Students’ Approach to Resources
    (2020-08-27) Stamp, Julia; Wilcox, Gabrielle; Szeto, Andrew C. H.; Domene, José F.
    University mental health is an area of growing concern as students steadily report higher levels of psychological distress in comparison to the general population, and while university settings are increasing resources, there are barriers to students’ accessing these. One known barrier is mental health stigma. This research used a mixed methods sequential explanatory design in an undergraduate student population (N = 218) in order to answer the questions 1) to what extent are public and self-mental health stigma present within this undergraduate population?, and 2) how does mental health stigma affect students’ likelihood of approaching or recommending university mental health resources? Results indicated that public mental health stigma significantly predicted students’ likelihood of approaching resources, but not recommending, and that self-stigma did not predict either likelihood variables. There were no group differences based on age, gender, ethnicity, or area of study, but students who had previously used university mental health resources were more likely to approach these resources again if experiencing concerns. Thematic analysis resulted in five main themes: academics, conceptualization of mental health stigma, cultural considerations, university mental health services, and mental health culture on campus. Data were used to formulate student-based recommendations for improving university mental health climate and reducing mental health stigma, presented in three main areas for improvement: psychoeducation, feedback from a trusted source, and classroom-level mental health coverage.
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    Cognitive Reactivity in Clinical Depression: An Assessment of Explicit and Implicit Dimensions, and their Association with Coping Behaviors
    (2019-09-12) Li, Xiaomiao; Dobson, Keith S.; Sears, Christopher R.; Szeto, Andrew C. H.; Kopala-Sibley, Daniel C.; Strunk, Daniel
    Scar theories of depression purport that each depressive episode produces a change in underlying causal factors that increase the risk of having future episodes. The dual process model of cognitive vulnerability of depression proposes that both explicit and implicit cognitive vulnerabilities play a role in the development of depression. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the existence of explicit and implicit cognitive ‘scars’ on coping-related cognitive contents, by testing the differential activation hypothesis, which proposes that the negative cognitive processes in those with a history of depression are more easily exacerbated by negative mood compared to those without a history of depression. The secondary purpose was to evaluate the relationships among mood, explicit and implicit coping-related cognitions and coping behaviors. The exploratory purpose was to delineate the nature of other-referent explicit cognitions. Currently depressed (CD, n = 42), previously depressed (PD, n = 61), and never depressed (ND, n = 62) participants were tested on computer-based paradigms designed to measure depression, mood, explicit and implicit cognitions, and self-reported engagement of coping behaviors. As hypothesized, explicit cognitive vulnerabilities universally existed among currently depressed individuals and partially existed among previously depressed individuals. Explicit cognitive ‘scars’ existed among previously depressed individuals with regard to emotional-related contents. Implicit cognitive compensation tendency existed among currently depressed individuals and implicit cognitive vulnerability tendency existed among previously depressed individuals on negative coping. Implicit cognitive ‘scars’ among previously depressed individuals existed on positive coping. Hypotheses regarding the relationships among depression, explicit and implicit cognitions, and coping behaviors were largely supported. Other-referent explicit cognitions are consistently positive across different coping contents, unaffected by mood nor history of depression. This study is the first evaluation of cognitive reactivity in clinical depression with coping-related cognitive contents, and on both explicit and implicit dimensions. The study provides novel insight into the cognitive vulnerabilities of depression and depression recurrence. The theoretical and clinical relevance of the findings, strengths and limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed.
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    “Complicated and Overwhelming”: Examining the Mental Health and Well-being of Undergraduate Nursing Students
    (2019-09-19) Odoko, Oghenekome; Lind, Candace; Szeto, Andrew C. H.; Smith, Jacqueline M.
    Many students report feeling overwhelmed and stressed as they complete their academic programs given their developmental stage. Within nursing education, there are many factors that may affect the mental health and well-being of undergraduate nursing students. The literature regarding mental health and well-being in undergraduate nursing students indicates that academic pressures and poor coping skills often results in high levels of stress and anxiety. This mixed methods study explored the mental health concerns and levels of flourishing of undergraduate nursing students at the University of Calgary. Using an online survey, 159 participants completed the CCAPS-34 questionnaire and Flourishing Scale questions. Participants also answered open ended questions on what aspects of their nursing experiences affected their well-being and what the Faculty of Nursing could do to improve student mental health and well-being outcomes. Overall, undergraduate nursing students showed higher levels of flourishing despite also identifying moderate levels of concerns including depression, anxiety, and stress. Predominant themes related to well-being were that: the high academic workload led to high levels of stress and anxiety, the order of theory and clinical courses negatively impacted students’ learning experiences, the learning environment was often not supportive of students experiencing mental health concerns, and that more could be done by the faculty to increase student wellness. With the implications and considerations of this study, it is possible to make changes in academic programming and curriculum that will increase resiliency and positive copings skills in nursing students.
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    Coping with Distal and Proximal Stressors: A Transactional Model of Stress Among First-Year Undergraduate Students
    (2019-10-14) Poole, Julia C.; Dobson, Keith S.; Szeto, Andrew C. H.; Hodgins, David C.; Schwartz, Kelly Dean; Harkness, Kate L.
    The transition to post-secondary education has been cited as a period of high stress, and increased rates of mental health concerns among undergraduate samples suggest that many students are poorly equipped to cope with this transition. The current study utilized the transactional model of stress (Folkman & Lazarus, 1984) to address the need for a comprehensive model of stress and coping among undergraduate students. A sample of first-year undergraduate students completed self-report questionnaires within the initial months of their first term (Time 1; n= 788) and again within the final months of their second term (Time 2; n= 621). Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the associations among stress and coping variables at the start of the year, including distal stressors, proximal stressors, appraisal of stressors, coping strategies, and emotion regulation strategies, with mental health outcomes at the end of the year, including depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction. Results indicated that stress and coping variables at the start of the year explained almost half (45.3%) of the variability in mental health outcomes at the end of the year. Taken together, the structural model provides a useful framework for the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of stress-related mental health concerns among first-year undergraduate students. Clinical implications and directions for future research and theory development are discussed.
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    I do not have stigma towards people with ADHD (but I do think they’re lazy): Using education and experience to reduce negative attitudes towards ADHD
    (2021-02-10) Flanigan, Laura K.; Climie, Emma A.; Andrews, Jac J. W.; Szeto, Andrew C. H.
    The current project examined the explicit, implicit, and social distance attitudes towards people with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the effect of education- or contact-based anti-stigma video on attitudes towards ADHD. In Study 1, 294 undergraduate students completed measures of explicit, implicit, and social distance attitudes towards ADHD. Results indicated significantly more negative explicit, implicit, and social distance attitudes towards people with ADHD compared to a comparison target of Asthma, and complex relationships between these variables. In Study 2, 299 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to watch a control, education, or contact video with a male or female actor with lived experience of ADHD. They then completed the same measures as in Study 1. Results indicated that negative explicit attitudes towards people with ADHD relative to Asthma were significantly lower after the education, and not contact, video. The intervention did not significantly affect the responses on the implicit or social distance measures. Additionally, only the male, and not the female, education video resulted in lower explicit scores. The results of the current project suggest that while there are negative attitudes towards people with ADHD, they can be improved with a short, video-based intervention. This project has significant implications for university students and their education about and treatment of people with ADHD. It also has significant implications for the development and utilization of anti-stigma interventions not only towards people with ADHD, but for mental illness as a whole.  
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    Investigating the Influence of Media Articles on the Stigma of Suicide and other Campus-Related Factors after a Suicide on Campus
    (2020-08-26) Lindsay, Brittany Lee; Szeto, Andrew C. H.; Dobson, Keith Stephen; MacInnis, Cara C.
    Objective: This study investigated whether different media articles (i.e., mass-media intervention) from a post-secondary institution (in response to a student suicide) could influence the stigma towards suicide behaviours and suicide death from students and whether certain variables (empathy, interpersonal anxiety, and modern prejudice) mediated this relationship. Other campus-related factors (e.g., opinions on acknowledging a suicide, resources, campus perceptions) were also explored. Method: Undergraduate participants (N=500) read a fictitious scenario about a student suicide on their campus and were randomly assigned to one of four articles: a control article about health that did not mention the suicide or one of three intervention articles that acknowledged the suicide and was knowledge based (psychologist) or also included interpersonal exposure/media contact (a friend of the decedent, or a suicide survivor). Suicide stigma measures, mediators, and other variables of interest were collected. Results: The stigma towards suicide survivors, particularly stereotypes, was significantly less after the three intervention articles compared to the control; no differences were found between the intervention articles. No significant differences were observed regarding stigma towards suicide decedents or campus perceptions. A mediation model was not supported. Most students believed that campuses should acknowledge a suicide and they provided numerous explanations for this. Students were knowledgeable on suicide prevention resources. Conclusions: Mass media interventions (with and without media contact) can be effective in reducing some aspects of suicide stigma. Post-secondary institutions should consider respectfully acknowledging a suicide on their campuses in a similar way, especially since most students are supportive of this.
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    The Relationship Between Mental Disorder Stigma Interventions and Individual Differences
    (2018-08-24) Neilson, Tessa; Szeto, Andrew C. H.; Lee, Kibeom; MacInnes, Cara C.; Griep, Yannick; Turner, Nick
    The present study examined the relationship between individual differences and mental disorder stigma ratings prior to an intervention, as well as directly following and one week after a mental disorder stigma intervention took place. A knowledge-based anti-stigma intervention and a contact-based anti-stigma intervention were also compared to a control group, in order to determine whether these relationships between stigma and individual difference variables would vary based on the type of intervention provided. Data was collected from 152 post-secondary students on their ratings of the HEXACO personality inventory, modern prejudice towards individuals with mental illnesses, intergroup anxiety, empathy, perspective taking, Right Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, and mental disorder stigma. Results indicated that mental disorder stigma was related to each of the individual difference variables prior to participants receiving the intervention. Changes in mental disorder stigma ratings directly following the anti-stigma interventions, as well as one week later suggest that individual differences may play a role in the type of mental disorder stigma interventions that are most effective for different individuals. These findings and their implications for future research are discussed.