Barriers to mental health help-seeking intentions among Black college students: examining the role of discrimination

Objective: To determine the association between six barriers of mental health counseling and intention to seek mental health help as well as to understand the moderating role of racial discrimination. Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of Black students (n = 367), aged 18–25 recruited from a large southeastern university. Participants previously completed an online survey originally conducted to understand student mental health needs and resources on campus. Results: Negative perceived value and discomfort with emotions barriers were negatively associated with intention to seek mental health help. Suicidal behavior was associated with lower help-seeking intention. Racial discrimination did not significantly moderate the association between barriers and intention to seek help for mental health concerns. Conclusions: Findings suggest that contextualizing individual-level barriers through a cultural and contextual lens may be impactful for increasing help-seeking intentions in this population. Further, Black college students may be a critical group to receive suicide prevention interventions.