Patterns of help-seeking in a national sample of student veterans: a matched control group investigation

This study examined patterns of professional and nontraditional help-seeking in a national sample of veterans from 57 colleges/universities and demographically matched students from the same institutions who had not served in the US Armed Forces.

In total, 945 veterans and 2835 demographically matched nonveteran students from the same 4-year institutions completed assessments of help-seeking intentions and behaviors from professional, religious and informal sources in the Healthy Minds Study between 2011 and 2015.

Drawing on bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models, equal ratios of these samples (2:1) did not endorse professional help-seeking intentions or behaviors. When compared to nonveteran students, veterans had greater intentions for religious help-seeking but were less likely to seek help from family/friends. Nearly half of depressed veterans who had not utilized services had also not sought help from any religious or informal sources.

Unmet mental health needs might interfere with the success of a sizeable contingent of veterans pursuing new vocational goals. Community-based programs that can educate and/or equip nontraditional sources of support in veterans' naturally occurring relationships might offset these concerns.