Connect with Culture: Increasing Utilization of Mental Health Services among International College Students

Figueroa-Osorio, Michael, Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, Mentor, Mohamad Salim, Mohamad Zairul, Nikravan, Shabnam, Poster Presentation, Public Health, School and College, Student

Mohamad Zairul Mohamad Salim and Michael Figueroa-Osorio, “Connect with Culture: Increasing Utilization of Mental Health Services among International College Students”
Mentor: Shabnam Nikravan, Public Health
Poster #71

There is a low utilization of mental health services among international college students. This is due to their unique needs, such as self-stigma, cultural competency, and lack of mental health resource awareness. Self-stigma is defined as negative beliefs or attitudes associated with seeking mental health services. These factors act as a barrier to achieving their full academic potential. It is evident that there is a knowledge gap in practices that effectively target mental health service utilization among international college students. Using a modified Intervention Mapping approach, this hypothetical program will aim to address the protective and risk factors for mental health among international students at UW Milwaukee. This research utilized evidence-based strategies through an informal literature review. By using the Social Capital Theory (SCT) a logic model was built to focus on addressing the self-stigma behaviors that contribute to the underutilization of mental health services. Upon identifying and addressing these factors, the goal of this hypothetical program will be to incorporate the unique cultural needs of international students. The findings of this research will be synthesized to include a logic model and evidence-based strategies rooted in Social Capital Theory. The program’s goal is to consider various unique needs of international college students and ultimately increase their mental health service utilization. The use of SCT and evidence-based strategies will allow the program to consider the various needs of our target populations and utilize the shared relationships across the community and networks within SCT to increase the utilization of mental health services among our target population. By utilizing social capital theory and evidence-based strategies, we can ensure an effective and sustainable program.