Higher Education Experiences of Clients of an Urban Community Mental Health Center: an Evaluation Study.

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between higher education experiences, social support, and stressful life events of 43 mental health clients serviced in a comprehensive community mental health center in an urban community. The purposes of the study were: to determine whether better educated public mental health clients have under-utilized networks or support systems; to determine whether a social support system of clients was utilized in the past towards the achievement of educational goals; to determine the extent of clients' stressful life events while attempting to achieve their educational goals; to determine the extent of stressful life events experienced by clients during the past year; and to determine the level and extent of public programs geared towards servicing better educated mental health clients. Personal interviews were used to obtain demographic and personal data about clients' college experience, support system, resources, and stressful life events while in college and for the past year. The Holmes and Rahe (1967) Social Readjustment Rating Scale of stressful life events, the Global Assessment Scale (Spitzer, Gibbon, and Endicott) to measure clients' levels of functioning, and questions relating to "life satisfactions" and "want out of life" were incorporated into the questionnaire. Findings indicated no significant difference in support systems and stressful life events scores of clients, nor in the type of support (familial versus non-familial). The utilization of familial or non-familial support seemed to have had no effect on whether clients completed a college degree. Findings on support and lack of support identified the presence of several familial and non-familial sources of support, but these were not utilized by therapists and doctors in setting treatment goals. Clients indicated an ongoing interest in returning to college. In none of the measures did having a college degree yield any indication of clients' improvement.