(PS7-D90) Contextual Factor Scale Development: examining Factors Related to Racial and Ethnic Minority Students' Mental Health Help Seeking

Mental health among college students represents a growing concern and an opportunity because of the large number of people who could be reached during an important period of life. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a majority of adults with mental disorders in the U.S, about 18.5% of adults between the ages of 18-44 do not receive mental health care (CDC, 2020). While the underutilization of mental health services may be a widespread problem, studies suggest that it is particularly notable for racial/ethnic minoritized (REM) groups, indicating that mental health care disparities among ethnic minorities are a pressing concern to address (Miranda et al., 2003). Even with the growing evidence suggesting the prevalence and severity of mental illness among REM college students is increasing, little is known about the mental health outcomes and needs of these students.
            Many contextual factors (e.g., social support, time availability, religion, perceived discrimination, stigma, financial constraints, language, and cultural barriers, among others) have been studied among the REM community population. Yet, these factors have not been thoroughly studied among the REM college student population. This lack of research on the factors that impact mental health help-seeking behavior among these REM students creates a significant gap. Understanding the factors that play a role in these groups' underutilization of mental health care is vital to our ability to develop outreach efforts and interventions that promote appropriate help-seeking behaviors and utilization of mental health services. 
           However, a validated scale that adequately assesses these factors is vital to determine if the factors play a facilitating or hindering role to mental health help-seeking behavior among REM college students. We have developed a scale that measures multiple contextual factors influencing their willingness to seek mental help. Based on what past research has suggested influences mental health help-seeking among community and student REM samples, our scale contains nine factors: the ability to access care/logistics, perceived discrimination, perceived stigma, history of mental health concerns in the family, knowledge/awareness of mental health, religion/spiritual beliefs, sense of community/community involvement/social support, cultural barriers/beliefs/language, trust and cultural background of a mental health professional. Each factor has several questions pertaining to that construct. Institutional Research Board approval is pending, and funding has been received to recruit 225 participants (with at least 25 participants per factor identified via random sampling). Data collection is set to begin this month (March 2023).
          We will run a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the expected nine factors. Decision rules utilizing the comparative fit index (CFI) and the root mean square estimation (RMSE) will be used to determine inclusion and/or exclusion in the final scale and verify the measurement theory. The outcomes of this study will allow us to identify specific factors using the validated scale that influence mental health help-seeking behavior or willingness to seek help among racial and ethnic minority college students.