Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Publication Date

8-27-2009

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS) among Jamaican Americans. The psychometric properties of the ATSPPHS were investigated to identify its appropriateness of measuring attitudes toward seeking mental health services of this Caribbean population. Ninety four Jamaican Americans completed the ATSPPHS which was developed by Fischer and Turner in 1970, and a demographic information form. An estimate of Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient for the overall ATSPPHS, and the four attitudinal factors were calculated to determine reliability. Principal components analysis was utilized to examine the structure of the factors and validity. An estimated correlation matrix was used to determine facets of both reliability and validity. The estimate of Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient for the overall ATSPPHS with the Jamaican American sample was α = .87. This result represented strong reliability for the overall scores of the ATSPPHS and shared similar findings with Fischer and Turner's (1970) original standardized population. The principal component analysis revealed only one attitudinal factor differing sharply from Fischer and Turner's (1970) factor analysis producing four independent factors. Validity of the ATSPPHS was not established with the Jamaican American sample. Implications highlighted the potential for helping professionals to greater serve populations that traditionally underutilize mental health services through a more sophisticated understanding of attitudes toward seeking mental health services. Future research concerning potential barriers to receiving help such as economic influences on culture and characteristics of Afro-Caribbean cultural distinctiveness are recommended.

Keywords

Jamaica, Jamaican, Jamaican American, Afro-Caribbean, attitudes toward seeking mental health services, attitudes toward seeking help, Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale, ATSPPHS, helping professionals, helping professions, underutilize mental health services, reliability, validity

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Counselor Education

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Individual, Family, and Community Education

First Committee Member (Chair)

Coffield, Lydia (Gene)

Second Committee Member

Borden, Allison M.

Third Committee Member

Verney, Steven P.

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