Expectations of and Attitudes toward Counseling: A Comparison of Asian International and U.S. Graduate Students
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Expectations of and Attitudes toward Counseling: A Comparison of Asian International and U.S. Graduate Students Eunju Yoon & David A. Jepsen
Published online: 3 April 2008 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008
Abstract This study examined Asian international graduate students’ expectations of and attitudes toward counseling by using U.S. graduate students as a comparative reference group. Survey data from 189 Asian international and 186 U.S. students were subject to analyses. Results indicated that Asian international students, in comparison with U.S. students, indicated less exposure to counseling, less self-perceived need for counseling, greater discomfort/shame with counseling, less openness to counseling, a greater preference for a directive style, and a greater preference for a flexible counseling format. Language and cultural concerns were barriers to seeking counseling. Implications for culturally responsive services were discussed. Keywords Asian international students . Help seeking attitude . Culturally responsive service
Introduction In 2004–2005, about 565,000 international students were studying at U.S. colleges and universities (U.S. Department of Education 2006). Since international students constitute a substantial part of the student body at U.S. campuses, they need to be served by campus counseling services and student affairs offices. In addition, international students have unique challenges due to language barriers, different educational systems, financial hardships, loss of social support systems, cultural adjustment needs, and racial discrimination (Abe et al. 1998; Luzzo et al. 1996; Parr et al. 1992; Yi et al. 2003). Despite the increasing number of international students on U.S. campuses and their incremented challenges, international students seem less willing to use counseling services E. Yoon (*) Department of Counseling, Special Education and Rehabilitation, California State University, Fresno, CA, USA e-mail: [email protected] D. A. Jepsen Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation, and Student Development, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
Int J Adv Counselling (2008) 30:116–127
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on campus than U.S. students (Abe et al. 1998; Pedersen 1991; Zhang and Dixon 2001). International students often delay seeking professional assistance until they have exhausted other support systems, suggesting their discomfort with counseling (Yi et al. 2003). A recent study conducted at a large Eastern university indicated that international students represented only 2.6% of all of the clients seen at the counseling center that year, in spite of the fact that international students made up approximately 8% of the total student body (Nilsson et al. 2004). Furthermore, the same study showed that 38% of international students who sought counseling failed to return after an intake session. The discrepancy between international students’ augmented challenges as a result of transition to the U.S. and their underutilization of counseling services mandates a study to examine international stu
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