While adolescents tend to under-use professional mental health services for depression, they informally seek health-related information from parents and peers. In this study, we interviewed 15 adolescents to examine how the views and behaviours of others influence teens' decisions about seeking care for depression. Using a grounded theory…

Arguing that seeking help when needed is an integral part of the learning process, this paper describes a three-stage help-seeking process; examines computer conferencing in academic contexts; and describes several characteristics that promote help-seeking, including the admission of inadequacy, the decision to seek help, and the ultimate…

Previous research has shown that seeking help is an important and ubiquitous behavior in higher education. However, relatively little is known about the person and situation determinants of academic help-seeking. This study was designed to differentiate types of help-seeking and examine sources of help and goals. Students (N=386) in biology,…

The attitudes and beliefs about utilization of mental health services of 201 African Americans, 18 years and older, are explored. One hundred and thirty-four females and 66 males participated in mixed sex focus groups conducted in an urban, Midwestern city. Discussion probes addressed participant perceptions of psychotherapists and psychotherapy,…

The demographic and psychological variables associated with seeking help in coping with emotional problems in early and middle adolescence from parents, friends, and professionals were studied with 221 adolescents. Differential patterns of predictor variables emerged for each helping resource and for both genders. (SLD)

Adaptive help seeking is a unique strategy of self-regulated learning that involves social interaction with others. This paper discusses ways in which teachers can satisfy students' self-system needs and contribute to their competencies and motivational resources required for adaptive help seeking. It also discusses how peers, within the classroom…

Investigates relationship between students' opinions about mental illness and their attitudes toward seeking professional help, while considering gender as a predictor. Results indicate that females had more positive attitudes toward seeking help. People's opinions about mental illness account for significant percentage of positive help-seeking…

Investigated gender differences in problem-solving discourse, analyzing preschoolers' spontaneous task-related talk for the frequency of collaborative speech acts (exploring possible links with greater help-eliciting among girls). Girls nearly exclusively used collaborative speech. Those using collaborative speech initiated more verbal turns and…

The unique concerns of international students on American campuses are often overlooked. Given the evidence that these students are at greater risk for psychological problems, suggests that sufficient mental health services should be readily available. Examines international students' sources of psychological concerns, the reasons for their…

Information from focus groups identified college males' health concerns, barriers to seeking help, and recommendations to help them adopt healthier lifestyles. Respondents were aware of their health needs, identifying both physical and emotional concerns, but rarely addressed them. Alcohol and substance abuse were the main concerns. Socialization…

New information about the role of self-concealment in the decision to seek psychological services is investigated. Different types of distress selectively predict students' perceived likelihood of seeking help according to the problems for which help would be sought (N=732). Results are discussed in contrast to previous researchers' findings. (EMK)

Internal working models of close relationships include a "self model" of one's own worth and an "other model" embodying core expectations about others. Interrelationships between self-model differences and self-reported problems, and among other-model differences, problem levels, and help-seeking attitudes of college students (N=253) were…

Interviews 74 youth who were being rearrested frequently by police about aspects of their family and social lives. Data revealed high levels of family disruption and a third claimed to be unemployed with few involved in constructive day-to-day activities. Drug and alcohol use were widespread and heavy, and there was evidence of many attempts to…

Surveyed patients (N=183) aged 55 and older on their current level of psychiatric distress and preferences for psychological services. Seventy-nine percent stated they would use any psychological services presented to them. Few said they would attend group psychotherapy but more than half said they would attend psychoeducational classes. Discusses…

The association between help-seeking and nearly lethal suicide attempts was evaluated using data from a population-based, case-control study. Measures of help-seeking included type of consultant contacted, and whether suicide was discussed. Findings suggest efforts to better understand the role of help-seeking in suicide prevention deserves…