Graduate Program

Clinical Psychology

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

2006

Thesis Director

Keith Wilson

Thesis Committee Member

Russell Gruber

Thesis Committee Member

Ronan Bernas

Abstract

This project focused on the development of a semi-structured interview for use in the exploration of factors that hinder or facilitate help-seeking behaviors of individuals with social anxiety. By participating in a qualitative semi-structured interview 10 participants identified factors that facilitated seeking professional help and barriers that prevented seeking professional help. Participants were grouped into two groups based on five stages of behavioral change proposed by Prochaska et al. (1983; 1991; 1992; 1999). The two groups were compared on the number of self-reported facilitator and barrier statements they made as well as their self-reported number of severity statements made. Participants in the preparation/contemplation/maintenance group reported significantly more facilitators to help-seeking behaviors than participants in the precontemplation/contemplation group. No significant differences were found between the groups for barriers to help-seeking behaviors or reported severity of social anxiety. However, since reliability for the coding categories derived from the semi-structured interview was found to be generally poor, the conclusions are tentative.

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