Examining the presence of alexithymic characteristics on an individual’s willingness to seek mental health counseling

Graduation Date

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Program

Other

Program

Thesis (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, Psychology: Counseling, 2014

Committee Chair Name

Emily Sommerman

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Counseling, Humboldt State University -- Theses -- Psychology, Psychology, Help seeking behavior, Alexithymia, Mental health services, Emotions

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand how alexithymic characteristics relate to help seeking behavior. Additionally, this study sought to measure the levels of alexithymic characteristics between men and women and how they related to help seeking behavior in relation to mental health services. The Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used to measure alexithymic characteristics and the Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS) was used to measure help seeking behavior in relation to mental health services. For this study, 65 individuals (15 men and 50 women) participated. The results show that higher alexithymic characteristics relate to lower scores in help seeking behavior. In this study, no statistically significant difference was found between men and women in their IASMHS scores. Additionally, no significant interaction was found between gender and alexithymic characteristics on the IASMHS. In sum, this means that when people report higher alexithymic scores, they have a lower likelihood of seeking mental health services. This study tries to provide information to counselors as to what might be one of the resons people with alexithymic chaeacteristics do not seek counseling or stay in counseling.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/x346d656j

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