Date of Award

Spring 2017

Degree Type

Honors Project

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. David Falcone

Second Advisor

Dr. Kelly McClure

Third Advisor

Dr. Vincent Kling

Abstract

About one in five adults in the United States experiences mental illness every year. However, only 41% of adults with mental illness received mental health services during the year 2014. When people do not seek help for mental illness, they can face consequences such as poor quality of life, social isolation, and suicide. Previous research suggests that belief in masculine gender stereotypes may be related to negative views of seeking help for emotional distress. The aim of the current study was to determine whether belief in feminine stereotypes may be related to help-seeking behaviors, and whether participant gender may be a moderator of this relationship. This study was correlational and participants included 64 La Salle students (15 males; 49 females). Participants responded to an online survey, containing the General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ), the Femininity Ideology Scale (FIS), and questions regarding their demographic information. Men scored higher than women on the GHSQ, which measures help-seeking behaviors, and lower on the FIS, which measures belief in feminine stereotypes. There was a significant correlation between belief in feminine stereotypes and help-seeking behaviors, and men were more likely to seek help from medical sources such as doctors and helplines in particular.

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