Psychological Reports, 1978, 43,937-938.
@ Psychological Reports 1978
TOWARDS QUICK IDENTIFICATION OF STUDENTS WITH PROBLEMS ROBERT
F. MC CLURE
Texas Eastern University1 Summary.-This study tested simple screening devices for university students to predict use of a counseling center, being on academic probation, or having problems with the police. Acknowledgement of problems and number of stresses were significantly related to use but not to probation or problems with police. This information could be helpful in counseling programs. Many students have problems in college. Summerskill ( 8 ) showed that, during the last 50 years, about half of all students who entered college did not graduate. Neugeboren ( 7 ) found that many students lacked self-direction, had little interest in college, and had social or emotional problems which interfered with their use of abilities. Can early counseling help a student with emotional problems? Block ( 1 ) found that rational emotive therapy was effective in improving grade point average a d decreasing 8 disruptive class behavior and absenteeism in high school students. However, Boyce and Barnes ( 2 ) found that only around 1% of a university srudent body used a psychiatric clinic in a given year. Lindquist and Lowe ( 5 ) pointed out that those who need help the most are the least likely to volunteer for treatment. Quick and practical methods are needed to screen large numbers of entering students for problems. One very simple procedure is to ask students if they have major problems or have had problems and then counsel all those saying "yes." McClure ( 6 ) found that simple admission of problems was a significant behavioral indicator. The present study examined several easy screening measures, which could be administered to large numbers of entering students, to see if any of these measures had utility for predicting use of the student counseling center, being on academic probation, or being arrested. The subjects were 107 students of both sexes randomly selected to answer an anonymous questionnaire about problems. The questionnaire contained background questions on age, sex, and birth order, and then six questions on problems. These questions were: Do you like school? Have you ever had an emotional problem for which you have seen a professional? Do you have any significant problems now, for which you would like professional help? Have you ever been arrested by the police for anything other than a routine traffic violation? Have you ever been on academic probation or suspension f r a n this or any other school? Have you been or are you going now to the counseling center for help? In addition, life stressors were measured using the Life Change Unit scale developed by Holmes and Rahe ( 4 ) , and introversion and neuroticism were measured using the Eysenck Personality Inventory ( 3 ) . The acknowledgement of problems, number of life stressors and the two personality measures were taken as independent measures to predict use of the counseling center, academic probation or arrests. 'Requests for reprints should be sent to Robert McClure, Department of Psychology, Texas Eastern University, Tyler, Texas 75701.
938
R. F. MC CLURE
The subjects had a mean age of 27 yr.; 26 were male and 8 1 were female. Almost all the subjects said that they liked school, 23 stated they had past emotional problems, and 14 said they had emotional problems now. Eight subjects had been arrested for significant offenses, and 10 had been suspended or put on academic probation. Of these, 13 indicated that they had used the counseling center. Students saying they had emotional problems were significantly more likely to use the counseling center than those denying problems ( X 2 = 6.03, df = 1, p .02) and had higher neuroticism scores than those not admitting problems (F = 10.4, df = 1/105, p = .002). Counseling center users had significantly higher stress ratings on the Life Change Unit scale ( F = 3.76, df = 1/105, p = .05) than did the nonusers. The mean stress scores for users was 260 points and for nonusers was 194 points. The neuroticism and introversion scales were not significant predictors of counseling center use. The measures did not predict probation or arrests, but there were several interesting relationships among the variables. Males were arrested significantly more often than females ( x a = 15.4, d f = 1, p = .0001) and were significantly more likely to have been on academic probation or suspension (Xa = 10.1, df = 1, p = .002). Also, not a single person who had been arrested or who had been on academic probation used the counseling center! It appeared that the simple admission of emotional problems was significantly related to use of counseling and to higher neuroticism scores. Also, high stress scores on the Life Change Unit seemed to be related to use. These findings suggest use of these screening devices might identify students for counseling.
@ Psychological Reports 1978
TOWARDS QUICK IDENTIFICATION OF STUDENTS WITH PROBLEMS ROBERT
F. MC CLURE
Texas Eastern University1 Summary.-This study tested simple screening devices for university students to predict use of a counseling center, being on academic probation, or having problems with the police. Acknowledgement of problems and number of stresses were significantly related to use but not to probation or problems with police. This information could be helpful in counseling programs. Many students have problems in college. Summerskill ( 8 ) showed that, during the last 50 years, about half of all students who entered college did not graduate. Neugeboren ( 7 ) found that many students lacked self-direction, had little interest in college, and had social or emotional problems which interfered with their use of abilities. Can early counseling help a student with emotional problems? Block ( 1 ) found that rational emotive therapy was effective in improving grade point average a d decreasing 8 disruptive class behavior and absenteeism in high school students. However, Boyce and Barnes ( 2 ) found that only around 1% of a university srudent body used a psychiatric clinic in a given year. Lindquist and Lowe ( 5 ) pointed out that those who need help the most are the least likely to volunteer for treatment. Quick and practical methods are needed to screen large numbers of entering students for problems. One very simple procedure is to ask students if they have major problems or have had problems and then counsel all those saying "yes." McClure ( 6 ) found that simple admission of problems was a significant behavioral indicator. The present study examined several easy screening measures, which could be administered to large numbers of entering students, to see if any of these measures had utility for predicting use of the student counseling center, being on academic probation, or being arrested. The subjects were 107 students of both sexes randomly selected to answer an anonymous questionnaire about problems. The questionnaire contained background questions on age, sex, and birth order, and then six questions on problems. These questions were: Do you like school? Have you ever had an emotional problem for which you have seen a professional? Do you have any significant problems now, for which you would like professional help? Have you ever been arrested by the police for anything other than a routine traffic violation? Have you ever been on academic probation or suspension f r a n this or any other school? Have you been or are you going now to the counseling center for help? In addition, life stressors were measured using the Life Change Unit scale developed by Holmes and Rahe ( 4 ) , and introversion and neuroticism were measured using the Eysenck Personality Inventory ( 3 ) . The acknowledgement of problems, number of life stressors and the two personality measures were taken as independent measures to predict use of the counseling center, academic probation or arrests. 'Requests for reprints should be sent to Robert McClure, Department of Psychology, Texas Eastern University, Tyler, Texas 75701.
938
R. F. MC CLURE
The subjects had a mean age of 27 yr.; 26 were male and 8 1 were female. Almost all the subjects said that they liked school, 23 stated they had past emotional problems, and 14 said they had emotional problems now. Eight subjects had been arrested for significant offenses, and 10 had been suspended or put on academic probation. Of these, 13 indicated that they had used the counseling center. Students saying they had emotional problems were significantly more likely to use the counseling center than those denying problems ( X 2 = 6.03, df = 1, p .02) and had higher neuroticism scores than those not admitting problems (F = 10.4, df = 1/105, p = .002). Counseling center users had significantly higher stress ratings on the Life Change Unit scale ( F = 3.76, df = 1/105, p = .05) than did the nonusers. The mean stress scores for users was 260 points and for nonusers was 194 points. The neuroticism and introversion scales were not significant predictors of counseling center use. The measures did not predict probation or arrests, but there were several interesting relationships among the variables. Males were arrested significantly more often than females ( x a = 15.4, d f = 1, p = .0001) and were significantly more likely to have been on academic probation or suspension (Xa = 10.1, df = 1, p = .002). Also, not a single person who had been arrested or who had been on academic probation used the counseling center! It appeared that the simple admission of emotional problems was significantly related to use of counseling and to higher neuroticism scores. Also, high stress scores on the Life Change Unit seemed to be related to use. These findings suggest use of these screening devices might identify students for counseling.
