The relationship between mental health and attitudes toward seeking psychological help among American Indian students

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between mental health and attitudes toward seeking psychological help among American Indian college students. The sample size consisted of 88 American Indian undergraduate students attending Northern Arizona University. In order to gather data on mental health and attitudes toward seeking psychological help, participants completed the Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help-Shortened Form, the Behavioral Health Questionnaire-20, and a demographic questionnaire.;The result of the multiple regression analysis indicated that the predictor variables number of different categories of individuals sought, well-being, and life functioning do not predict seeking professional psychological help. Additionally, there was not a significant difference in attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help across who the respondents stated they most preferred to see for a psychological problem or mental health issue. The result of the analysis of variance indicated a significant difference in attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help depending on whether the student grew up on or off an American Indian reservation. The students who grew up off an American Indian reservation had a significantly higher total score on the measure of seeking help than students who grew up on an American Indian reservation. Additional research is needed to better understand attitudes toward seeking help and actual help seeking behaviors by American Indian college students specifically and American Indians in general. Additional research is needed to better understand how living on or off an American Indian reservation impacts attitudes toward seeking help.