Campus Location
Dallas Campus (Online)
Date of Award
7-2023
ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3413-4364
Document Type
Dissertation
Department
Organizational Leadership
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Committee Chair or Primary Advisor
Scott Self
Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor
Marisa Beard
Third Committee Member or Committee Reader
Dianne Reed
Abstract
The unique set of impairments and limitations presented by students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make the accessing of campus-based nonacademic resources more difficult and complicated than their typically developed peers. Each year, the rate of students entering college with disabilities continues to grow, but their mental well-being is relatively poor. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to apply the conceptual framework of the Andersen behavioral model of health services use (ABMHSU) to the experiences of college students with ASD to understand and predict their utilization of campus-provided mental health resources. The participants were seven college students with ASD who were currently receiving accommodations through Disability Services Program (pseudonym) at Tumbleweed University (pseudonym). Data were collected through demographic questionnaires and virtual interviews. The data were analyzed by breaking the interview responses down into predisposing, enabling, and need-based factors described in the ABMHSU. These data were compared to past literature also using the ABMHSU. The findings indicated that the predisposing factors that influence utilization were the presence of past illness, social structure, and attitudes toward health services. The enabling factors that influenced utilization were type of regular source of care and access to regular source of care. The need-based factors that influenced utilization were perceived general state, symptoms, and diagnosis. The main conclusion drawn from this study is that connecting students to counseling is not enough; they need to be encouraged to keep going. The participants indicated that the social impairments of ASD could make maintaining relationships and communicating difficult. Discovering the reasons for the discontinuation of the utilization of mental health services will help service program personnel anticipate them and encourage engagement.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Lilyquist, Estella C., "On-Campus Mental Health Service Use Among College Students With Autism: A Case Study Applying the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services Use" (2023). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 649.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/649
Included in
Accessibility Commons, Communication Sciences and Disorders Commons, Community College Education Administration Commons, Community College Leadership Commons, Counseling Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, Health and Medical Administration Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Higher Education and Teaching Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, Mental Disorders Commons, Neurosciences Commons, Psychiatry Commons, Psychology Commons, Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons