University students’ utilization and attitudes toward crisis lines/text services

Abstract

There are growing concerns about the significant rise of mental health-related problems, symptoms of mental illness, and suicide attempts among postsecondary students in Canada. Expanding global research shows that initiatives focused on promotion, prevention, and early intervention yield positive results, such as reducing mental distress. The present study assessed postsecondary students’ attitudes toward and usage of crisis lines, including phone and text services. A sample of 221 students completed validated measures of current distress, attitudes towards crisis lines, help-seeking attitudes and behaviours, perceived helpfulness and usage of informal and formal mental health supports, as well as levels of self-stigma, self-reliance, and shame. Overall, students perceived crisis line/text services as significantly more helpful than they reported being likely to use them, and perceived crisis line and text services as most helpful for suicide-related concerns. Students used mental health and other health professionals, and internet resources, more frequently than crisis line/text services. The most common reason for non-use of crisis line/text services was a preference for self-reliance: wanting to solve the problem themselves, believing that the problem was not serious enough, or expecting that it would improve on its own. Positive attitudes towards seeking psychological help, and older age, were predictors of likelihood to use crisis line/text services in the future. Language also seemed to play a role, as participants reported the greatest likelihood of using a support line, followed by a help line, and a crisis line. Given the high levels of distress among university students and their limited engagement with crisis services, further research is needed to understand how postsecondary students perceive these services and what influences their decisions not to use them.