Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 24, 2025

Bridging the Technology Divide in the COVID-19 Era: Using Virtual Outreach to Expose Middle and High School Students to Imaging Technology
Published on: September 28, 2022
How communicative environments affect college students' mental health help-seeking during COVID-19: a cross-sectional
Qiwei Luna Wu1, Richard L Street2,3
1School of Communication, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Abstract:
Objective: This study explores how interpersonal communication environments (eg family, patient-provider, and online communication environments) affect college students' mental help-seeking during COVID-19. Methods: Based on Social Cognitive Theory, we conducted a cross-sectional survey assessing participants' mental help-seeking attitudes, self-stigma, self-efficacy, and readiness, as well as their communication experiences with their families, healthcare providers, and online environments. Four hundred fifty-six student participants were recruited. Structural equation modeling was used to explore relationships among the assessed variables. Results: About one-third of the participants (N = 137) had signs of mental distress, and most of them (N = 71) did not intend to seek help soon. Patient-centered communication experiences with healthcare providers were associated with reduced help-seeking stigma, whereas online and family communication predicted help-seeking readiness through changes in attitude, self-stigma, and self-efficacy. Conclusions: This study's results help identify risk factors of help-seeking reluctance. It suggests that communicative environments affect help-seeking by influencing individual predictors. This study may inform interventions targeting college students' use of mental health services during health crises like COVID-19.
Related Concept Videos
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Psychological Responses to Stress
Self-Help Support Groups
Accessibility and Cost-Effectiveness
One of the primary strengths of self-help...
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques V
Bullying
Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...

