Date of Conferral

6-11-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Nursing

Advisor

Tresa Kaur

Abstract

Black Americans face significant barriers to psychiatric services including a lack of access to culturally competent care. Mental illnesses continue to be the leading causes of disability in the United States. This qualitative phenomenological study, guided by the health belief model, explored the experiences of Black women in Black colleges who voluntarily seek psychiatric services. My study addressed a gap in understanding the facilitators and barriers for Black women voluntarily seeking mental health services. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with nine participants who were Black women attending Black colleges who voluntarily sought psychiatric services. Data analysis was accomplished using value coding. The findings supported previous studies’ identification of facilitators, such as self-esteem and culturally competent providers. My study identified overcoming factors, including resilience and self-empowerment, to mitigate barriers identified in previous studies, including stigma. This study impacts positive social change for providers of the perspectives of Black women in Black colleges. The findings provide insight about facilitators and mitigating barriers the participants have faced and included themes of resilience, self-empowerment, vulnerability and stigma. The participants described an environment of peers motivated and supported their decision to seek mental health service despite the barriers such as distrust and stigma. The finding of this study can lead to potential implications for positive social change by decreasing the probability that mental illness will interfere with individuals’ lives by making psychiatric services an essential part of the services provided by campus student services organizations.

Download

Included in

Education Commons

Share

 
COinS