Help-Seeking Intentions and Behaviors among Mainland Chinese College Students: Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavio
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Help-Seeking Intentions and Behaviors among Mainland Chinese College Students: Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and Behavioral Model of Health Services Use Wenjing Li 1 & Linley A. Denson 1 & Diana S. Dorstyn 1
# Springer Science+Business Media New York 2017
Abstract This study investigated help-seeking intentions and use of mental health services within a sample of 1128 Mainland Chinese college students (630 males and 498 females; mean age = 20.01 years, SD = 1.48). Results of structural equation modeling and logistic regression analysis suggested that social-cognitive variables had significant effects both on students’ intentions to seek professional mental health care and their actual service use. To promote help-seeking, practitioners should consider marketing campaigns and psycho-education for students and communities, enhancing knowledge and acceptance of mental health problems and effective treatment options. Keywords Chinese college students . Counseling . Help-seeking
Introduction Compared with college students elsewhere, Mainland Chinese college students report even higher levels of psychological distress, and, despite increasing provision of mental health services (MHS) by most mainland universities, less willingness to access professional support (cf., Boey 1999; Guo et al. 2013; Li et al. 2008; Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China 2001; Phillips et al. 2009; Wang et al. 2007). Correlates of service use have been examined in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macao and with Chinese people living abroad (e.g., Chang 2008; Chin et al. 2015; Mak and Davis 2014); however, these findings may not generalize to Mainland Chinese students due to political and cultural differences (Boey 1999; Chen et al. 2014; Li et al. 2013; Wong and Li 2014). Indeed, differences in help-seeking attitudes have been found between overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese college students (Goh et al. 2007). * Wenjing Li [email protected]
1
School of Psychology, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
Int J Adv Counselling
Further investigation of mental health help-seeking among college students in Mainland China is, therefore, needed (Clement et al. 2015; Li et al. 2008; Wu et al. 2014). Several theoretical models are used to understand willingness and reluctance to undertake health-promoting behaviors including help-seeking. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB; Ajzen 1985, 1991) is one example. The TPB suggests that intention is an immediate determinant of actual behavior, and it is considered to be affected by three factors: attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (Ajzen 1991; Ajzen and Fishbein 2005; Ajzen and Madden 1986). In relation to MHS, a favorable attitude or evaluation of accessing professional support may imply greater willingness to seek professional psychological help. Subjective norms, including individuals’ perceptions of social expectations concerning professional psychological help, can also influence MHS use among college students: if significant
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