Opening up or not? Exploring motives, considerations and needs of students and staff of a Dutch university regarding the decision to disclose their mental health issues to inform decision aid development

Mental health disclosure decisions can be difficult, especially within universities. University students and staff might benefit from decision support. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff (n=10) and students (n=10), including participants who decided to (not) disclose. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire including the SURE test. Subsequently, they were interviewed about the decision to disclose and their needs regarding a disclosure decision aid. Data from the SURE test was analyzed based on descriptives, interviews were analyzed using the Framew... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Severijns, Yil
Zijlstra, Daniëlle
Brouwers, Sanne Elisabetha Maria
den Uil, Femke Maria
Vancauwenbergh, Véronique
Gültzow, Thomas
Dokumenttyp: posted-content
Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
Verlag/Hrsg.: Center for Open Science
Sprache: unknown
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-28643564
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : http://dx.doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/ae4r9

Mental health disclosure decisions can be difficult, especially within universities. University students and staff might benefit from decision support. Therefore, semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff (n=10) and students (n=10), including participants who decided to (not) disclose. The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire including the SURE test. Subsequently, they were interviewed about the decision to disclose and their needs regarding a disclosure decision aid. Data from the SURE test was analyzed based on descriptives, interviews were analyzed using the Framework–method. Most students (n=9) decided not to disclose, whereas most staff (n=8) did. Both students and staff described advantages and disadvantages of disclosing. Advantages included support, relief, understanding, and safety, but there were also risks, such as stigmatization and career concerns. Not disclosing can prevent unwanted questions but can also lead to misunderstandings. In short, disclosing offers opportunities and risks. Regarding decision support, both students and staff preferred a brief online tool. Both students and staff encounter challenges when it comes to deciding whether to disclose their mental health status. A decision aid can serve as a valuable tool to assist them in making informed decisions and preparing for potential conversations related to mental health disclosure.