A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study of College Students' Experiences with College-Provided Mental Healthcare Services

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand college students' perspectives on college-provided mental healthcare services. The framework guiding this study is the theory of planned behavior (TPB), developed by Fishbein and Ajzen. The TPB theory is based on attitude, social norms, perceived behavioral control (PBC), and intention. The central research question: What are college students' perspectives on college-provided mental healthcare services? The design of this qualitative study is hermeneutic phenomenology, a rigorous and well-established approach. A sample of twelve participants, carefully selected based on pre-determined criteria, was included in the study. The participants, a diverse mix of current and former men and women full-time and part-time residential and commuter university students aged 18 and above, were fluent in English and either utilized, currently seeking, or have sought to use college-provided mental healthcare services. The study, conducted without a specific setting but with a particular population in mind, included three data collection methods to achieve triangulation: individual interviews, focus group interviews, and letter writing. Van Manen’s thematic analysis approach, known for its robustness, was used to analyze all collected data. Three themes emerged from the data: limiting factors and deterrents, encouraging factors, and the meaning of mental health. Ten subthemes were developed through the three themes. The study found that availability, accessibility, capacity, awareness, staff, school culture, stigma, and diversity determine whether or not a student decides to seek and utilize college-provided mental healthcare services.