Date of Degree
2023
Degree Name
Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)
Department
Department of Counseling and Higher Education (CAHE)
Director
Jaekel, Katy
Committee Members
Nyunt, Gudrun; Hu, Xiaodan
Keywords
South Asian Students, Student Counseling Services, College Mental Health, Asian Umbrella, Model Minority Myth, South Asian Students Mental Health, Mental Health Stigmas, South Asian Stigmas
Abstract
ABSTRACT
PERCEPTIONS OF MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT SERVICES AMONG SOUTH ASIAN STUDENTS
Naina Richards, Ed.D.
Department of Counseling and Higher Education
Northern Illinois University, 2023
Katy Jaekel, Director
This qualitative research study aimed to identify stigmas surrounding mental health that influenced South Asian graduate students’ help-seeking behavior while enrolled in higher education. Findings from this study suggest that cultural stigmas associated with mental illness foster concerning attitudes among South Asian students that equate mental illness with weakness and thus, promote minimization of personal mental struggles to avoid negative labeling and judgement. Recommendations from this study encourage university student support services to accept and understand the barriers faced by South Asian students in seeking mental health support. With the evolving demographics of student populations including the growing number of South Asian students on college campuses, it is critical for universities to explore innovative and non-traditional approaches to offer support and cultivate a sense of belonging within all the diverse student groups it serves.
Publisher
Northern Illinois University
Rights Statement
In Copyright
Rights Statement 2
NIU theses and dissertations are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors, unless otherwise indicated.
Recommended Citation
Richards, Naina, "Perceptions of Mental Health Support Services Among South Asian Students" (2023). Dissertations of Practice. 6.
https://huskiecommons.lib.niu.edu/allgraduate-disspractice/6
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons
