Professional Preparation and Reflection: Literature Review

Professional Preparation and Reflection: Literature Review
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Professional Preparation and Reflection: Literature Review
Bruffaerts, et al. (2018) explored mental health problems among college freshmen in terms of the prevalence rate and students’ academic excellence. Results show that about 34.9% of college freshmen experience mental health problems. The problems associated with this high prevalence rate include internalizing, externalizing, antisocial, and substance use problems. Of these, internalizing and externalizing problems have the most significant effect on the academic performance of college students. Internalizing problems lower the GPA by 0.2 while externalizing problems lower it by 0.3. Thus, there exists a negative relationship between mental health issues and students' academic performance. Interventions that focus on addressing or treating mental health problems might contribute to improved academic performance among students with mental health problems.
Zhang (2017) agree that mental health issues among young adults are one of the greatest concern for public health administrators. Students who have experienced stressful situations are at greater risk of mental health problems. However, students are more likely to share their issues on social media. The results of this study indicate that when students share about their stressful situations on Facebook, they are less likely to experience mental distress. This is because sharing on Facebook increases their perceived social support. It also increases the life satisfaction of students and reduces the likelihood of depression because sharing emotions and personal issues unburden them. However, students have to be intentional about their sharing habits to avoid oversharing. Oversharing has a negative effect on life satisfaction. Social media and the internet can be utilized as a tool for creating mental health awareness and intervention.
Li, Li, Wong, and Cao (2017), examined the withdrawal behaviors of college students as well as their mental health. Some of the withdrawal behaviors that college students exhibit include staying at home and non-communication. These withdrawal behaviors affect students' mental health. Specifically, a long duration of staying at home without any physical contact or communication with others increases loneliness and stress levels among college students. Consequently, these students suffer from depression and poor overall mental health. As a withdrawal behavior, home-stay alone does not affect the mental health of students because they stay engaged and in communication with their peers through online platforms. It only affects mental health if it is prolonged and the student has minimal or zero communication with others.
Kamimura, et al. (2018) report that mental health issues among college students are a global public health issue. Yet, many students around the world are still experiencing mental health stigmatization. This stigmatization is also the reason why many people in some communities perceive individuals with mental disorders as dangerous. Thus, instead of being offered the necessary professional help, these individuals are ignored. Students from such communities are more unlikely to seek help than those from more accepting communities. Also, there is a varying perception of the causes of mental health problems and disorders among college students. Some believe that mental health problems are caused by stressful life conditions while others believe that they are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Also, some students believe that talking to family and friends about their stressful situations is enough, and as such, they fail to seek professional help.
Pace, et al. (2016) explored the factors that influence help-seeking behavior among first-year students in colleges. The focus was on this group because the transition from high school to college is usually stressful and can affect the mental health of students. Lack of awareness of the available mental health services within the campus is one of the factors that limit students' help-seeking behavior. Also, moderate stigmatizati...