8 TPC Digest Michael T. Kalkbrenner, Gabriella Miceli Barriers to Seeking Counseling Among STEM Students Working with college students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors can be particularly challenging for professional counselors, as STEM students are a subgroup of college students that face unique risks for developing mental health issues. When compared to their non-STEM colleagues, STEM students are less likely to recognize warning signs of mental distress, and they access mental health support services at lower rates than their peers. The research literature is missing information on why STEM students tend to seek counseling at lower rates. One of the first steps in supporting STEM students’ mental health is validating scores on a screening tool for measuring barriers to counseling (reasons behind why they avoid counseling) among STEM students. Although a number of screening tools appraising barriers to counseling exist, none of them have been validated with STEM students. Score validation or testing the properties of an existing survey with a new population is crucial. Otherwise, there is no way to know if the scale actually measures what the test developers claim it measures. The Revised Fit, Stigma, and Value (RFSV) Scale is a scale for appraising barriers to counseling that has been normed with a number of non–collegebased populations. If RFSV scores are validated with STEM students, the scale has potential to fill the aforementioned gap in the measurement literature. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to validate STEM students’ scores on the RFSV Scale and investigate demographic correlates with STEM students’ RFSV scores. The RFSV Scale is made up of three subscales that measure a person’s reticence to seek counseling: Fit, Stigma, and Value. The Fit subscale measures a person’s hesitation to seek counseling because they believe the process of counseling is not suitable for their personal worldview. The Stigma subscale measures reluctance to seek counseling because of feelings of embarrassment or shame. The Value subscale measures an aversion to seeking counseling because one believes that the effort required would not be worth the potential benefits. Our findings were favorable and showed that STEM students’ RFSV scores were reliable (consistent) and valid (the test measured what it was supposed to measure). The results also showed that lower scores on the Value subscale (lower scores = more positive attitudes about counseling) significantly predicted a peer-to-peer referral to the college counseling center. In addition, male STEM students scored significantly higher (higher scores = a greater reluctance to seek counseling) on the Value barrier when compared to female STEM students. Finally, STEM students without a help-seeking history (students who had never attended counseling in the past) scored significantly higher on the Value barrier than STEM students with a help-seeking history (students who had attended one or more sessions of counseling in the past). This article concludes with a discussion of a variety of implications for how professional counselors can use the RFSV Scale to measure and possibly reduce barriers associated with attending counseling among STEM students. Michael T. Kalkbrenner, PhD, NCC, is an associate professor at New Mexico State University. Gabriella Miceli, MS, LPC-A, is a doctoral student at New Mexico State University. Correspondence may be addressed to Michael T. Kalkbrenner, 1780 E. University Ave., Las Cruces, NM 88003, mkalk001@nmsu.edu. | TPC Digest The Revised Fit, Stigma, and Value Scale
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