Knowledge Bank

Introduction/Background: Mental illnesses among college students have increased from 21.9% in 2007 to 35.5% in 2017; however, many people still do not seek treatment. The primary reasons that these individuals give for not seeking treatment are that 1) they do not need treatment and/or 2) that they prefer to deal with these issues on their own. Due to these barriers, young adults might engage in maladaptive coping mechanisms to combat their depression without a formal intervention led by a therapist.  Methods: This study seeks to explore whether 1) the presence of maladaptive symptoms associated with depression and 2) changes in trajectory in the severity of depressive symptoms affect the likelihood of college students' viewing treatment as beneficial. To do so, I assessed college-aged participants' attitudes toward treatment. In this study, I conducted a study with a 2 (self/other) x 3 (trajectory) x 3 (coping mechanism) design. Participants were randomized to receive either ten scenarios that asked them to imagine themselves within that situation or ten scenarios that involved an unnamed person in the situation. Each scenario involved the presence of three depressive symptoms that led to a different trajectory of symptom severity after a month within the scenario (i.e., increasing severity, decreasing severity, or steady severity). It also involved the addition of an unusual coping strategy/symptom at the end of the scenario, with the key distinction being between positive coping and one of two maladaptive forms of coping. The participants then answered questions regarding their attitudes toward potential treatment-seeking behaviors based on the scenario.  Results: The maladaptive coping mechanism scenarios led participants to see treatment as more beneficial compared to the positive coping mechanism scenarios. As participants realize the negative effects that can occur without treatment, people's affectively based attitudes and cognitively based attitudes changed to produce a more positive and beneficial view towards treatment. Conclusion: The results of this study show a potential strategy to increase the possibility of people seeking treatment. Educating people on the possible ramifications of untreated/mistreated depression can lead to a change in their evaluation of treatment.