Help-seeking attitudes and intentions among first generation college students
Abstract
In the proposed study, I examined help-seeking intentions among first-generation college (FGC) students through adapting Cramer’s (1999) help-seeking model. Using structural equation modeling, I examined how Attitudes Toward Counseling, Psychological Distress, Family Social Support, Self-Concealment, and Social Integration, were related, and how they contributed to Intentions to Seek Counseling among FGC students. University students (n = 237) completed the following questionnaires: (a) a demographics questionnaire, (b) The Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form (Fischer & Farina, 1995), (c) The Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-21 (Green, Walkey, McCormick, & Taylor, 1988), (d) one subscale of The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1988), (e) The Self Concealment Scale (Larson & Chastain, 1990), (f) two subscales of The Institutional Integration Scale (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1980), and (g) The Intentions to Seek Counseling Inventory (Cash, Begley, McCown, & Weise, 1975). The final model indicated that Social Integration was directly related to Self-Concealment, Family Social Support, Psychological Distress, and indirectly related to Attitudes Toward Counseling and Intentions to Seek Counseling (through Psychological Distress). Moreover, Social Integration indirectly influenced the relationship between Family Social Support and Psychological Distress. Finally, Psychological Distress predicted more favorable Attitudes Toward Counseling and increased Intentions to Seek Counseling. These results suggest that the degree to which FGC students form meaningful bonds with university faculty and peers is influenced by students’ perceived sense of support from their family and their tendency to self-conceal, and is valuable in minimizing distress. Implications for applying the help-seeking model to a FGC student population are discussed, with one such implication being to aid university practitioners and administrators in their outreach efforts for FGC students by better understanding emotional and psychological influences of help-seeking attitudes and intentions. Limitations of the present study and implications for future research are suggested.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Ciftci, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Counseling Psychology
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