Full Draft of Prospectus

My Degree: Ph.D.

Program Emphasis: Industrial & Organizational Psychology

Ten Strategic Points

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Broad Topic Area Final Topic

Factors Affecting Utilization of Mental Health in Southern Texas

Lit Review

(Theoretical Framework (Theory)

Gaps

Themes

All Citations

Gaps

A. De Luca, Blosnich, Hentschel, King, & Amen (2016). The authors indicate that mental health has emerged as one of the critical areas of focus in recent times, and for a long time, it had been sidelined. However, with the realization that most health conditions are related in one way or another to a mental disorder, this area is now been studied extensively, and more attention has been given to patients.

B. Mental health professionals point to insufficient mental healthcare resources in the United States as one of the major factors contributing to the rising suicide rate in the country. Nevertheless, these professionals noted that emergency providers paly major role at forefront of the problem and may also play significant role in its prevention. The experts reiterated the necessity for providers to possess the skills required for managing patients at lower suicide risk levels, especially in settings in which such patients do not enough access to behavioral healthcare providers and that the providers need to be accustomed to suicide risk, especially when there are widely publicized high-profile instances of suicide.

https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=131266532&site=eds-live&scope=site.

C. According to Kohn, et. al, (2018), emphasize the gap in mental health treatment in the American Region when examined through the prevalence of mental health disorders, use of mental health services, and the global burden of disease. Statistical data from community-based surveys of mental disorders in the various countries in America including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, and the United States etc. were utilized. The World Mental Health Survey published data were used in estimating professional the treatment gap. For Canada, Chile, and Guatemala, the treatment gap was calculated from data files. The mean, median, and weighted treatment gap, and the 12-month prevalence by severity and category of mental disorder were estimated for the general adult, child-adolescent, and indigenous populations. Disability-adjusted Life Years and Years Lived with Disability were calculated from the Global Burden of Disease study. Mental and substance use disorders accounted for 10.5% of the global burden of disease in the Americas (Kohn, Ali, Puac-Polanco, Figueroa, López-Soto, Morgan, & Vicente, 2018).

D. Wang, & Xie, (2019) Emphasizes the need to eliminate the prevalence of mental health service utilization among many adults in the United States. The authors examined the links between mental health service utilization, health insurance coverage, mental health problems and drug abuse, and the health disparities among communities. In 2013. the authors in conjunction with the National Survey on Drug Use and Health performed a research with 37,424 adults’ respondents, with the outcome that only 5,434 adults were receiving mental health services. The outcome of the research indicated statistics of overall prevalence of mental health services utilization to be around 15%, with the female and the aging population experiencing major depressive episodes, serious psychological distress, and illicit drug or alcohol abuse/dependence were positively associated with mental health service use. Insured African Americans, Asians and Hispanics, and married were negatively associated with mental health service utilization. Adults with varying types of insurances having disparities in accessing mental health services. (Wang, & Xie, 2019).

E.

F.

G.

Theoretical Foundation

The theoretical framework for this research study is the Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, which examines the context of health promotion and disease prevention. It helps to describe how motivations in health and behaviors are influenced by the interaction of people’s beliefs, environment, and behaviors (Morin, 2019).

Literature Review

A. Empathic Approach:

Professional Development:

Problem Statement

It is not known how mental health providers describe the factors influencing individuals' decision to utilize mental health services

Research Questions

RQ1: How do mental health providers describe the influence of self-efficacy on individuals’ decision to utilize mental health services?

RQ2: How do mental health providers describe the influence of behavioral capacity on individuals’ decision to utilize mental health services?

RQ3: How do mental health providers describe the influence of expectations on individuals’ decision to utilize mental health services?

Population

Target Population

Sample

· Location – Southern, Texas. USA

· Target Population:

· Mental Health providers with membership of Mental Health Association in South Texas

· Behavioral Hospitals

· Psychiatrists

· Therapists

Sample:

· The sample will be in South Texas of the United States

· Out of a population of 12 Mental Health Providers

· Questionnaire: Minimum of 120

· Interviews: Minimum of 40 Mental Health providers

.

Describe Phenomena (qualitative) or Define Variables/Hypotheses (quantitative)

To understand why the people living in Southern Texas are not effectively utilizing mental health services

· There is a high rate of mental health conditions in Southern Texas

· Individuals living in South Texas utilizes very low budget allocation on funding of mental health care

· Cost is a factor impacting the population’s utilization of mental health services

Methodology & Design

Qualitative Descriptive Study

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study is to examine how mental health providers describe the factors influencing individuals' decision to utilize mental health services in South Texas

Data Collection Approach

Mental health providers with membership in Mental Health Associations will be the main participants in the study based on 5 years’ experience and the willingness to be interviewed

· Visits to mental health providers

· Informed & signed consent will be obtained from participants

· Interview with mental health providers recorded on tape

· Sampling Method: Purposeful Sampling

· Sources: Interviews & Questionnaires: Notes will be taken; interviews will be tape recorded and documented properly

· Data will be Collected using a Google form

· Mental health providers/participants names will be removed from the data

· Data will remain stored on the researcher’s computer with password encrypted.

Data Analysis Approach

Descriptive Statistics

demographic information

years of experience

According to Braun and Clarke (2006), the following procedures are recommended for thematic analysis:

· Ensure that researcher is familiar with the data by reading through the data and looking for patterns

· Followed by the researcher beginning coding through identifications of the data and combining pertinent data that relates to each code

· Data will be collected and analyzed for the study.

· Descriptive statistics will be used in summarizing acquired data.

· Coding will be used to address questions asked and the transcribed interviews and coded data will be stored on a backup USB thumb drive

· A narrative summary will be developed.