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Intention to Seek Professional Psychological Help among College Students in Turkey: Influence of Help-Seeking Attitudes
BMC Research Notes (2013)
  • Feyza Seyfi
  • Krishna C. Poudel, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
  • Junko Yasuoka
  • Keiko Otsuka
  • Masamine Jimba
Abstract
Background: Depression rates are high among college students in Turkey, but often students do not seek mental health care. This study aimed to examine the association between attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and intention to seek professional psychological help among such college students. We also examined the factors associated with students’ professional psychological help-seeking attitudes. We conducted this cross-sectional study among 456 conveniently sampled graduate and undergraduate students in Ankara. We collected students’ data using self-administered, structured questionnaires in the Turkish language and then analyzed the data using both descriptive and multivariate methods. Results: In the multiple linear regression analyses, students’ attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help were positively associated with intention to seek such help (p < 0.001). Other factors positively associated with students’ attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help included the following: age (p < 0.001), perceived social support from family (p < 0.05), perceived social support from friends (p < 0.01), and perceived social support from significant other (p < 0.05). Students with less positive attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help were more likely to be men (p < 0.001), undergraduate students (p < 0.001), and students who were not aware of the presence of the on-campus counseling center (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Students’ positive attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help were positively associated with their intentions to seek such help. To encourage utilization of the counseling center inside the campus more frequently when in need, interventions might be necessary to improve students’ attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help—in particular among young male students.
Keywords
  • Professional psychological help,
  • Attitudes,
  • Intention,
  • Help seeking,
  • College students,
  • Mental health,
  • Turkey Background
Disciplines
Publication Date
December, 2013
Citation Information
Feyza Seyfi, Krishna C. Poudel, Junko Yasuoka, Keiko Otsuka, et al.. "Intention to Seek Professional Psychological Help among College Students in Turkey: Influence of Help-Seeking Attitudes" BMC Research Notes Vol. 6 Iss. 519 (2013)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/krishna_poudel/41/