J Korean Acad Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs.  2024 Jun;33(2):170-180. 10.12934/jkpmhn.2024.33.2.170.

Factors Affecting College Students’ Intention to Seek Professional Psychological Help: Focused on the Theory of Planned Behavior

• Yook GS
• Shin SH

• KMID: 2556856
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12934/jkpmhn.2024.33.2.170

Abstract

Purpose
To identify influences and pathways on college students’ intentions to seek professional pyschological help, focusing on the theory of planned behavior.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted using a structured questionnaire. The study sample comprised 428 college students who were attending a 4-year university located in Seoul and Gyeonggi, Korea. Collected data were checked through path analysis using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 20.0.
Results
Factors that directly influenced college students’ professional psychological help-seeking intentions significantly were attitude toward seeking professional help and perceived behavioral control. Subjective norms and self-stigma indirectly affected the intention to seek professional help for psychological problems, mediated by the attitude toward seeking professional help. These variables were found to explain 11.2% of college students’ intention to seek professional psychological help. Variables that directly influenced college students’attitudes toward seeking professional help were subjective norms and self-stigma. These variables were found to explain 32.3% of college students’ attitudes toward seeking professional help.
Conclusion
It is necessary to have a positive attitude toward pursuing professional psychological help in nursing interventions to increase college students’intention to seek professional help for psychological problems.

Keyword

Intention; Mental health; Students; Attitude; Help-seeking behavior; 의도 , 정신건강 , 대학생 , 태도 , 도움추구행동