Seeking Psychological Help Research Articles

Masculinity, alexithymia, and fear of intimacy as predictors of UK men's attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help

Men's reluctance to access health care services has been under researched even though it has been identified as a potentially important predictor of poorer health outcomes amongst men. Male gender role socialization and male development may be important in accounting for men's underutilization of mental health services in the United Kingdom. A cross-sectional online survey was used to administer standardized self-report measures that were subject to regression analysis. Five hundred and eighty-one men from the UK general population completed the survey, and 536 participants formed the final regression analysis. Men who score higher on measures of traditional masculine ideology, normative alexithymia, and fear of intimacy reported more negative attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help. Normative alexithymia fully mediated the effect of fear of intimacy on attitudes towards professional help seeking. In the final regression model, education significantly accounted for a proportion of unique variance in men's help-seeking attitudes. Hypothesized consequences of male emotional and interpersonal development and male gender role socialization were associated with men's attitudes towards seeking psychological help. These are important factors which could help to improve help seeking and mental health outcomes for men. Limitations of this study and implications for future research are discussed. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Men are less likely to seek help for physical and psychological problems and have poorer health outcomes across nearly all major illness and injury. Men's reluctance to access health care services is believed to be a major contributory factor to poorer health outcomes for men. What does the study add? The study is a large-scale survey of UK men's attitudes towards professional psychological help seeking. Results provide evidence that hypothesized consequences of male gender role socialization and dominant masculine norms are associated with men's attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help. Attitudes towards psychological help seeking were associated with masculinity, alexithymia, and intimacy. Alexithymia fully mediated the effect of intimacy on men's attitudes towards psychological help seeking. Promoting help seeking in men could improve men's emotional well-being and interpersonal functioning.

Predictors of Counseling Center Use Among College Students in the United Arab Emirates

College students’ decision to seek counseling is impacted by many factors such as demographic and psychological variables. This study investigated the differences between counseled (40 men and 120 women) and noncounseled (98 men and 111 women) college students from the United Arab Emirates using 3 measures of distress and a number of demographic variables (i.e., gender, marital status, residence, nationality, area of study, and grade point average). The counseled group reported more health concerns, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and psychological distress when compared with the noncounseled. Women reported more psychological distress than men. Discriminant analysis revealed that the most important predictors of whether a student would seek counseling were measures of general health, psychological distress, depression and anxiety, area of study, and gender, in that order. Of the noncounseled students, the majority claimed to be in need of counseling. Findings were discussed within the context of Emirati culture. Findings suggested that seeking psychological help may be stigmatized in Arab culture.

Prior help-seeking experience, perceived social support, and loneliness as the predictors of attitudes toward seeking psychological help among school of education students

The aim of this study was to examine whether prior help-seeking experiences, perceived social support levels, and loneliness levels of faculty of education students predict or not their attitudes toward seeking psychological help. Participants were 278 (182 female, 96 male) students who were enrolled in different departments during 2011-2012 academic year at Faculty of Education, Ege University. Psychological Help-Seeking Attitudes Scale-R, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Demographic Information Form were used for data collection. The Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis was conducted for data analysis. The results of the study showed that attitudes toward seeking psychological help was predicted by loneliness and perceived social support when the role of prior help-seeking experiences among faculty of education students was controlled. Also, it was concluded that attitudes toward seeking psychological help among students were negatively predicted by loneliness and positively predicted by perceived social support.

Disentangling self-stigma: Are mental illness and help-seeking self-stigmas different?

Two established but disparate lines of research exist: studies examining the self-stigma associated with mental illness and studies examining the self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help. Whereas some researchers have implicitly treated these 2 constructs as synonymous, others have made the argument that they are theoretically and empirically distinct. To help clarify this debate, we examined in the present investigation the overlap and uniqueness of the self-stigmas associated with mental illness and with seeking psychological help. Data were collected from a sample of college undergraduates experiencing clinical levels of psychological distress (N = 217) and a second sample of community members with a self-reported history of mental illness (N = 324). Confirmatory factor analyses provide strong evidence for the factorial independence of the 2 types of self-stigma. Additionally, results of regression analyses in both samples suggest that the 2 self-stigmas uniquely predict variations in stigma-related constructs (i.e., shame, self-blame, and social inadequacy) and attitudes and intentions to seek help. Implications for researchers and clinicians interested in understanding stigma and enhancing mental health service utilization are discussed.

Attitudes towards seeking psychological help among a sample of Turkish university students: the roles of rumination and internal working models

The current study investigates how attitudes towards seeking psychological help relate to internal working models of attachment (self-model and other-model) and ruminative tendencies. The study includes 589 Turkish university students (278 females, 308 males and 3 unknown) by implementing a convenient sampling procedure. The average age of the participants was 22.4 years (SD = 2.2). Participants were administered the Attitudes toward Seeking Psychological Help-Short, the Relationship Questionnaire and the Rumination Scale. The results of the study indicate that the other-model and rumination have a relationship to women's help-seeking attitudes whereas the self-model has a relationship to men's help-seeking attitudes. The results are discussed in light of the related literature.

Examination of the Relation between the Values of Adolescents and Virtual Sensitiveness.

This study was designed as descriptive to identify psychological help-seeking attitudes of helping professional candidates and factors influencing them. The research population consisted of 447 first and fourth grade students studying in the Departments of Psychological Counselling and Guidance, Psychology or Nursing at Ondokuz Mayis University. 365 of them who was reached, and accepted to participate in the research constituted the sample group. “Personal Information Form” and “Attitudes toward Seeking Psychological Help Scale” developed by Turkum (2004) to analyze psychological helpseeking attitudes were used as data collection tools. In data analysis, after descriptive analysis, the student t-test was applied to compare the mean values of two groups in normal distribution; analysis of variance (ANOVA) and factorial ANOVA were used to compare the mean values of more than two groups; and Tukey’s test was run for post hoc analysis. This research indicated that psychological help-seeking levels of helping professional candidates were statistically significant in terms of gender, department, and experience of receiving psychological help before, but not of grade. Thus, the findings derived from this study should be considered when planning activities related to psychological counselling for students in this group.

Predicting Intentions to Seek Psychological Help Among Botswana University Students

The current study had two main objectives. The first was to investigate Botswana’s university students’ intentions to seek psychological help. The second was to investigate whether (a) Attitude Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help (ATSPPH), (b) Self-Stigma of Seeking Help (SSOSH), and (c) Social Stigma of Receiving Psychological Help (SSRPH) predicted the students’ intentions to seek psychological help. A total of N = 519 (283 females and 236 males) students from the University of Botswana completed the survey. Results indicated that generally, the students had moderate intentions of seeking psychological help. Multiple regression analysis revealed that of the three predictors, only ATSPPH and SSRPH significantly predicted intentions to seek psychological help. The current study is important because while it has been established that university students are a high-risk population for mental health problems, there is close to nothing documented on university students in Botswana. Findings of the current study will undoubtedly increase knowledge relating to psychological help-seeking and its predictors in Botswana and may inform interventions that aim to encourage young people to seek psychological or counseling help.

Help-seeking intentions in college students: An exploration of eating disorder specific help-seeking and general psychological help-seeking

This study investigated help-seeking intentions for eating disorders and general psychological problems in college students. Participants reported that they would be more likely to seek help for a friend with an eating disorder than for themselves if they were experiencing an eating disorder. Multiple factors (i.e., sex, year in college, knowledge of eating disorders, and knowledge of available resources) were assessed to determine the prediction of help-seeking intentions. Only the knowledge of eating disorders significantly predicted whether or not a student would be willing to seek help for a friend with a general psychological disorder. None of these factors predicted willingness to seek help for friends with an eating disorder.

Racial and ethnic minority college students' stigma associated with seeking psychological help: Examining psychocultural correlates.

Many college students underuse professional psychological help for mental health difficulties. The stigma associated with seeking such help appears to be one of the reasons for this underuse. Levels of psychological distress and past use of counseling/psychotherapy have been found to be important correlates of stigma associated with seeking psychological help (Obasi & Leong, 2009; Vogel, Wade, & Haake, 2006). For racial and ethnic minorities, the hindering effects of self-stigma and perceived stigmatization by others on treatment seeking may further be compounded by their relationships with their own ethnic groups, with other ethnic groups, and with the dominant society. This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test a model that explored the effects of psychological distress and psychocultural variables (i.e., ethnic identity, other-group orientation, perceived discrimination) on perceived stigmatization by others and self-stigma for seeking psychological help, controlling for past use of counseling/psychotherapy. The sample consisted of 260 African American, 166 Asian American, and 183 Latino American students. SEM multigroup analyses indicated measurement invariance, but partial structural invariance, across racial/ethnic groups. Across all 3 groups, higher levels of psychological distress and perceived racial/ethnic discrimination, respectively, predicted higher levels of perceived stigmatization by others for seeking psychological help, which, in turn, predicted greater self-stigma for seeking psychological help. Higher levels of other-group orientation predicted lower levels of self-stigma of seeking psychological help across groups. Higher levels of ethnic identity predicted lower levels of self-stigma of seeking psychological help only for African Americans. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Supplemental Material for Moderated Path Analysis of the Relationships Between Masculinity and Men’s Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help

Supplemental Material for Moderated Path Analysis of the Relationships Between Masculinity and Men’s Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help

Assessing the utility of the willingness/prototype model in predicting help-seeking decisions.

Prior research on professional psychological help-seeking behavior has operated on the assumption that the decision to seek help is based on intentional and reasoned processes. However, research on the dual-process prototype/willingness model (PWM; Gerrard, Gibbons, Houlihan, Stock, & Pomery, 2008) suggests health-related decisions may also involve social reaction processes that influence one's spontaneous willingness (rather than planned intention) to seek help, given conducive circumstances. The present study used structural equation modeling to evaluate the ability of these 2 information-processing pathways (i.e., the reasoned pathway and the social reaction pathway) to predict help-seeking decisions among 182 college students currently experiencing clinical levels of psychological distress. Results indicated that when both pathways were modeled simultaneously, only the social reaction pathway independently accounted for significant variance in help-seeking decisions. These findings argue for the utility of the PWM framework in the context of professional psychological help seeking and hold implications for future counseling psychology research, prevention, and practice.

Attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among Chinese students at a UK university

AbstractAim: In this study we aimed to investigate whether Chinese international and British home students at a university in the United Kingdom differed in their attitudes towards seeking psychological help. Method: The total sample comprised 323 participants. Participants completed measures to assess their attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help (recognition of need for psychological help, stigma tolerance, interpersonal openness, confidence in mental health practitioners). Results: Chinese students reported significantly less interpersonal openness than that reported by British students. Contrary to prediction, however, no significant group differences were found on any of the other mental health attitudes (i.e. recognition of need for psychological help, confidence in mental health practitioners or stigma tolerance). Within‐group contrasts also showed that Chinese students reported lower scores on interpersonal openness than on stigma tolerance and confidence in mental health practitioners. In contrast, British participants reported less confidence in mental health practitioners and recognition of the need for psychological help than reported for stigma tolerance and interpersonal openness. Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for a greater understanding of students' cultural inclinations toward mental health issues and cultural attitudes that may hinder and/or facilitate students' access and engagement with psychological services in higher education institutions.

Research Area: Counselling

Cross-cultural research on attitudes toward seeking professional help for mental health problems emphasizes the major role played by traditional, collectivist type cultural values. Self-disclosure by people from non-Western backgrounds is little studied despite the emphasis in modern therapeutic approaches on self-disclosure. The present study examines the cultural aspects of self-disclosure and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help among first and second-generation Greek Australians in Sydney (n = 106), Anglo-Celtic Australians (n = 35), and Greek Cypriots (n = 189). Participants ranged in age from 18 to over 70. A self-report survey measured individualism-collectivism, attitude toward seeking professional help, actual self-disclosure to a friend, hypothetical self disclosure to a counsellor, and social desirability. It was hypothesized that participants who were more collectivist would have less positive attitudes toward seeking professional help, and would be less likely to self-disclose. Results showed modest group, gender, age, generational, and educational level differences and also that participants in general were neither strongly individualistic nor strongly collectivist. Results also showed that all three groups did not differ in their attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, and that in general they did not have positive attitudes toward seeking professional help. There was a modest positive relationship between individualism and attitudes to seeking psychological help that confirms previous literature. As predicted, the Australian group was most likely to self-disclose. The study confirms that cultural factors affect attitudes toward seeking professional psychological health and willingness to self-disclose.

Between a rock and a hard place? Locus of control, religious problem-solving and psychological help-seeking

Drawing on a college and community sample, this study utilised hierarchical multiple regression to examine the relative contributions of demographic variables, psychological treatment experience, religious service attendance, locus of control, and religious problem-solving style in predicting attitudes towards psychological help-seeking. Women, those holding a graduate degree, and those with treatment experience held more positive attitudes towards psychological help-seeking. While neither the locus of control nor religious problem-solving scales alone were related to help-seeking, several significant interaction effects were observed. God-centred locus of control was a positive predictor of psychological help-seeking, but only for older participants. Chance locus of control was a negative predictor, but only for graduate degree holders. Last, self-directing religious problem-solving style was a negative predictor, especially for individuals also endorsing a deferring religious problem-solving style. Perhaps the composition of the sample – largely educated, religious African-American women – gives some insight into the complex nature of these results.

The Process of Psychological Help-Seeking Behavior among College Students and Related Variables

The Process of Psychological Help-Seeking Behavior among College Students and Related Variables

Religious Fundamentalism, Religious Coping, and Preference for Psychological and Religious Treatment

Religion may not be simply another variable in the assessment of treatment-seeking but an alternative worldview about the nature of suffering and its appropriate treatment. This study examines the relation of religious fundamentalism and religious coping on relative preference for psychological or religious help-seeking in 142 undergraduate students. Higher levels of religious fundamentalism and deferred religious coping were found to be associated with greater preference for religious rather than psychological help-seeking. The results suggest that religious issues need to be included in the investigation of help-seeking.

Predictors of the change in self-stigma following a single session of group counseling.

One of the major obstacles to seeking psychological help is the stigma associated with counseling and therapy. Self-stigma, the fear of losing self-respect or self-esteem as a result of seeking help, is an important factor in the help-seeking process. In the present study, college students meeting a clinical cutoff for psychological symptoms participated in 1 session of group counseling that either contained therapist self-disclosure or did not. In general, participants reported significantly less self-stigma following the session. Working alliance-bond and session depth significantly predicted the change in self-stigma. Furthermore, self-stigma (as well as bond, depth, psychological symptoms, and being female) predicted the intention to seek help following the session. Self-stigma and session depth also predicted interest in continuing with counseling. The therapist self-disclosure condition, however, had no effect on the change in self-stigma, intentions to seek help, or interest in continuing with group counseling.

An evaluation of the Health Behavior Inventory-20 (HBI-20) and its relationships to masculinity and attitudes towards seeking psychological help among college men.

The purpose of this study was to explore the factor structure and assess the reliability of the Health Behavior Inventory-20 (HBI-20), and to assess its relationships with several measures of masculine gender socialization constructs and attitudes toward seeking psychological help. Three hundred and

Psychological Help-Seeking Attitudes and Barriers to Help-Seeking in Young People in Turkey

This qualitative research sought to understand the needs of Turkish university students related to adjustment to university, the sources they seek help from, their attitudes about and barriers to psychological help-seeking. Data analysis of interview transcriptions from 15 undergraduates identified several themes. Interpersonal problems, difficulties with staff and authority and future concerns were the most frequent issues. Students preferred informal sources of help in dealing with problems and in the main did not seek psychological help when confronted with problems. Perceiving one’s problems as manageable and having an unwillingness to disclose oneself to others were among the barriers to help-seeking. Students were also unwilling to seek help from a professional unless the problem seemed crucial.

Quality of life, course and predictors of outcomes in community women with EDNOS and common eating disorders

We investigated the 2-year course and putative predictors of outcome of 87 young community women with common eating disorders (n = 59, 68% with Eating Disorder not Otherwise Specified) following a health literacy (informational) intervention. Participants were recruited in 3-phases: community survey, interview and then invitation to a longitudinal study. The health literacy intervention was provided randomly to half participants at baseline and half at 1 year. Eating disorder symptoms and mental health related quality of life (MHQoL), general psychological function, help-seeking, and defence style were assessed at baseline, and after 2 years by questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to identify features predictive of eating disorder symptom levels and MHQoL. Eating disorder psychopathology remained high and MHQoL remained poor. In the multivariate models, a higher baseline level of immature defence style significantly predicted higher levels of eating disorder symptoms, poorer MHQoL and more disability as measured by 'days out of role'. In addition, higher educational attainment, baseline general psychological disturbance, lower BMI and having main work outside the home were associated with poorer MHQoL. Women with common eating disorders followed to 2 years continued to be highly symptomatic and have poor quality of life. Psychological features important to outcome included an immature coping style and higher general psychological distress.