Examining Childhood Adversity and Mindset as Predictors of Help Seeking Among Students - Jaidyn Charlton (2021, HBA)

Research has demonstrated that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and optimistic and pessimistic mindsets influence the likelihood of seeking help for various problems, particularly mental health problems. However, little is understood about the degrees to which ACEs and mindset impact future help seeking intentions and attitudes. To better understand these associations, mindset was proposed to moderate the relationship between ACEs and help seeking intentions, such that greater pessimism would strengthen the relationship whereas greater optimism would diminish the relationship. Secondly, it was hypothesized that mindset would moderate the relationship between ACEs and help seeking attitudes, such that greater pessimism would strengthen the relationship whereas greater optimism would diminish it. A sample of 160 undergraduates from Lakehead University was recruited to complete a self-report questionnaire of study constructs. Bivariate correlations were conducted to examine the associations between the variables. Ordinary least squares regression analyses with bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals were used to test mindset as a moderator in the relationships between ACEs and help seeking intentions and help seeking attitudes. Contrary to hypotheses, mindset did not moderate the relationships between ACEs and help seeking intentions and attitudes. Further, regression and bivariate analyses indicated that mindset was a predictor of help seeking intentions, but not help seeking attitudes, whereas ACEs did not predict help seeking intentions or attitudes. Further research is needed to evaluate other explanatory models with regards to factors that influence help seeking.