CONSEQUENCES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES ON ATTITUDES TOWARD SEEKING PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP OF UNDERGRADUATES STUDENTS
Keywords:
Self-stigma, public-stigma, self-concealment, age, gender, and professional psychological helpAbstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the consequences of psychological and demographic features on attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help (ATSPPH) of undergraduate students. The design of this study was ex-post factor. The sample population of this study consisted of 454 (257 male and 197 female) undergraduate distance learning students selected through convenience sampling. Their mean age was 25.83 years (SD = 3.88 years). The respondents completed a questionnaire consisting of the Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help, Self-stigma of Seeking Help Scale, Social Stigma for Receiving Psychological Help Scale and Self Concealment Scale. Percentages and means, the t-test for independent samples, and multiple regressions were used for analysis. The results of this study indicated that the younger students reported significantly better ATSPPH than the older students. Male and female students were not statistically different when compared on ATSPPH. Further, there was significant independent influence of self-stigma and self-concealment and a joint influence of self-stigma, public-stigma and self-concealment on ATSPPH. Intervention designed to increase public awareness about the benefits of seeking professional services or to drastically reduce and ameliorate negative concerns about seeking psychological help will be more efficient if that intervention is focused on the factors that have been identified in this study.References
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