Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Sidney Shaw

Abstract

The focus of this study was to examine mental health literacy as a predictor of the mental health service utilization of foster parents after controlling for age. There is an absence of research addressing variables that contribute to the use of mental health services by foster parents. In this nonexperimental study, survey data were collected in an electronic format. Statistical analysis was performed through use of a logistic regression. A mental health literacy conceptual framework was the theoretical foundation of the study. The sample consisted of 42 foster parents from the northwest panhandle of Florida. The study yielded findings indication that mental health literacy did not predict mental health service use. Statistically significant results were not found between mental health literacy scores, age, and mental health service utilization, ꭓ2 (2, N = 42) = 3.786, p = .151. A statistically significant finding in the form of a negative, moderately strong correlation was shown to exist between age and Mental Health Literacy Scale scores (r = -.393). Descriptive statistics yielded some similar trends concerning demographic information compared to prior studies. Though statistically significant results were not found in this study, the outcomes help fill a gap in the current research literature. Foster parents are underrepresented in the literature, yet this study raises questions about how future researchers might examine foster parents’ attitudes and behaviors about mental health use and calls on stakeholders to legitimize mental health care a health literacy concept. Social change implications of this study center around empowering stakeholders to recruit foster parents intelligently and understand the distinct characteristics of foster parents.

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