In this study, the relationship among mistrust of Whites, opinions about mental illness, and help-seeking attitudes among Black college students (N = 105) was examined. Participants completed the Cultural Mistrust Inventory, the Opinions About Mental Illness Scale, the Help-Seeking Attitude Scale, and the Reid-Gundlach Social Service Satisfaction Scale. The hypothesis that higher levels of cultural mistrust would predict negative help-seeking attitudes was generally supported through regression analyses. Greater mistrust of Whites was associated with more negative general attitudes about seeking help from clinics staffed primarily by Whites and with an expectation that the services rendered by White counselors would be less satisfactory. Limitations of this study, as well as implications and recommendations for future research and practice, are discussed.

Black clients, visiting a community mental health center for the first time were identified and administered an inventory designed to assess the extent to which they trust whites. Equal numbers of clients were then assigned to a black and to a white counselor for an intake interview. Hierarchical regression analyses were then used to examine the relation between the predictor variables of counselor's race, mistrust level, and clients' sex on the criterion variable of premature termination from counseling. Significant percentages of shared variance were found between termination rates and the predictor * variables of counselors' race and trust level as well as the interaction of counselor's race and trust level. No significant amount of shared variance was found between sex of clients and termination rates. Some implications for counseling are discussed.

Black clients' high dropout rates from counseling with White counselors are often explained by the clients' lack of trust for Whites. This analogue study examined the effects of cultural mistrust on counseling expectations for Black clients assigned to both Black and White counselors. Subjects completed the Cultural Mistrust Inventory (an inventory designed to measure Blacks' mistrust of Whites) and the Expectations About Counseling questionnaire. In a 2 (subject sex) X 2 (subject mistrust level) x 2 (counselor race) factorial design, client mistrust level interacted significantly with counselor race. When assigned to a White instead of a Black counselor, highly mistrustful Blacks expected the counselor to be less accepting, trustworthy, and expert; they also expected less in terms of counseling outcome. We discuss the possible implications of these findings for counseling practice and the need for White counselors to be sensitive to the cultural mistrust issue when working with Black clients.

The hypothesis was tested that depressed students, unlike nondepressed students, would show less optimism for success when a chance-determined task was given under high-illusion-of-control conditions than under low-illusion-of-control conditions. Subjects placed bets on a dice game; the throwing of the dice was either under player-control (high illusion) or croupier-control (low illusion) conditions. As predicted, depressed subjects were more confident of success in the croupier-control condition, and nondepressed subjects were more confident of success in the player-control condition. The results support the view that depressed subjects are characterized by a sense of personal incompetence.

Stress levels, coping style, and problem solving ability among bulimic and anorexic individuals were explored. Bulimics (n = 33) reported a greater number of negative life events and feelings of being pressured than did a non‐eating‐disordered group. Anorexics (n = 12) reported higher levels of anxiety and depression than the other groups. Both anorexics and bulimics reported higher levels of stress, lower levels of confidence in their ability to solve problems, a tendency to avoid confronting problems, a reluctance to share personal problems, and feelings of being driven. Implications are suggested.