The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1 - 59

RAs and Intentions to Refer

referral process allowed for clarification of the
boundaries of their RA responsibilities (i.e.,
RAs are not counselors). They expressed concerns that residents would not interpret a referral as a sign of concern but rather would feel
judged and stigmatized, thus disrupting the
RA-student relationship. These findings are
similar to the qualitative results of Reingle et
al. (2010). They found that the RAs they interviewed had generally positive attitudes about
referral and considered mental health professionals to be useful resources with specialized
training. Furthermore, among the RAs who
expressed the possible negative outcomes of
referral, the concerns expressed were similar
to those we found: that referral might create
a negative reaction on the part of the resident
(Reingle et al., 2010).
Although RAs’ attitudes toward referral
appear to be positive, findings from our study
indicated that attitudes toward referral were
not statistically associated with RAs’ intention
to refer an emotionally overwhelmed student
to a mental health professional. Similarly,
Reingle et al. (2010) did not find that favorable
attitudes toward referral led to actual referral
behavior. Perhaps fear of the possible negative
interpersonal consequences of making a referral outweighed the advantages of making a referral in the minds of RAs.

Subjective Norms
In our qualitative elicitation study, we found
that most RAs indicated that members of the
residence life staff, as well as their family and
friends, would be supportive of their making
a referral for an emotionally overwhelmed
student. This finding is consistent with, although broader than, the finding of Reingle et
al. (2010), who found that all the RAs whom

they interviewed indicated that their residence
hall directors wanted them to refer students with
mental health or substance abuse problems.
Our results indicated that RAs’ beliefs
about whether or not others (e.g., co-workers,
family members, friends) would approve of
their referring an emotionally overwhelmed
student to counseling was a significant predictor of RAs’ intention to make such a referral.
The present data suggest that explicitly emphasizing the fact that important others would
approve of RAs’ referring an emotionally overwhelmed student actually may help in increasing their likelihood of doing so.

Perceived Behavioral Control
The most common theme from our elicitation study was RAs’ concerns about working
with students with intense difficulties (e.g., depression, eating disorders, suicidal ideation).
This emphasis in our qualitative data could be
related to Reingle et al.’s (2010) finding that
RAs were likely to refer a resident to counseling only when they judged the concern to be
severe. It appears that RAs may be engaging in
a process of screening and triage in their daily

Campus gatekeeper training
programs have most commonly
focused on increasing
knowledge about the warning
signs of suicide and improving
skills at communicating with
those at risk.
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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1