Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41183064›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Opening up? Exploring motives and needs of students and staff of a Dutch university on disclosing mental health issues to inform decision aid development.

Yil Engbersen-Severijns, Daniëlle N Zijlstra, Sanne E M Brouwers, Femke M den Uil, Véronique Vancauwenbergh, Thomas Gültzow

Erratum issuedAbstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Yil Engbersen-SeverijnsDepartment of Health Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8138-4741
Daniëlle N ZijlstraDepartment of Health Promotion, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6663-3378
Sanne E M BrouwersDepartment of Work and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Femke M den UilDepartment of Work and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Véronique VancauwenberghStudent Services Centre, Department Personal and Professional Development, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Thomas GültzowDepartment of Theory, Methods and Statistics, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9268-1880

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDecisions about disclosing mental health issues can be difficult, especially in the university setting. For this reason, students and staff of universities might benefit from decision support tools, such as the use of a decision aid. Currently, little is known about if and how people in this setting disclose and how decision support should look like. This study aims to address this gap by exploring disclosure experiences and preferences for support.

methodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with staff (n = 10) and students (n = 10), including participants who decided to (not) disclose their mental health condition. The participants were asked to complete a short questionnaire. Subsequently, they were interviewed about the decision to disclose and their needs regarding a potential disclosure decision aid. Interviews were analyzed using the Framework method.

resultsMost students chose not to disclose, whereas most staff did. Students and staff described advantages and disadvantages of disclosing. Reported advantages included support, relief, understanding, and safety. Risks included (fear of) stigmatization and career concerns. Not disclosing can prevent unwanted questions but can also lead to misunderstandings. Regarding decision support, both students and staff preferred a brief online tool.

conclusionIn conclusion, both students and staff encounter challenges when it comes to deciding whether to disclose their mental health status. A decision aid can be a valuable tool to support them in making their decision.

Indexed as

Decision Support TechniquesDisclosureMental HealthMotivationStudentsAdultDecision MakingFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNetherlandsSurveys and QuestionnairesUniversitiesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID41183064
PMCPMC12582453

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.