Examined the referral patterns of 1,095 African; 2,168 Asian; 1,385 Hispanic; and 2,273 White Americans (18 years of age and older) in a public mental health system to determine whether group differences in help seeking and referral patterns were related to participation in ethnic-specific versus mainstream programs. Discusses findings. (KW)

This study explores the possibility that social support among adolescents explains the relationship between emotional competence and help seeking. Results reveal that adolescents who were low in emotional awareness, and who were poor at identifying, describing, and managing their emotions, were the least likely to seek help from nonprofessional…

Factor analysis of coping behavior in adolescents in Frankfurt, Germany, and Tel Aviv yielded similar structures, but Israelis demonstrated a marked preference for internal coping strategies as opposed to coping by means of social resources. Discusses the impact of environmental and historical conditions. (DM)

Voluntary use of counseling increased, and, in turn, academic performance improved, after participation in brief required counseling intervention for at-risk second-year college students (n=131). Although persistence through graduation was related positively to voluntary help-seeking after the intervention, increment of improvement in grade point…

The Expectations about Counseling-Brief Form was administered to 261 Icelandic and 225 American undergraduates. Results of a multivariate analysis of covariance reveal that Icelanders had higher expectations about counselor expertise than did Americans. Results are discussed in terms of counselor roles and functions and the role of help seeking in…

Freshmen (n=206) at a public university took the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Orientation Scale, a measure of openness to and appreciation of similarities and differences in others. Correlation with results of other instruments found universal-diverse orientation was a predictor of students' attitudes toward help-seeking, their academic…

Examines the differences between Israeli adolescents' (N=512) willingness to seek help for themselves and their willingness to refer others for help. Results reveal that adolescents were more willing to refer another person other than themselves to most of the sources of support. Differences were more pronounced for severe problems and referrals…

Notes that two roles teachers assume that often cause tension and hard feelings are those of family therapist and parent expert. Discusses how teachers share in children's development, how to recognize emotional or difficult situations with parents, and how teachers can help parents find the help they need without adopting those helping roles…

Examines whether fear of therapy and psychological distress were predictive of help-seeking. A nonclinical student sample (n=263) completed measures of their treatment fears, expectations, anxiety, psychological distress and help-seeking likelihood. Concerns about image, stigma, coercion, and psychological distress were all related to help-seeking…

The willingness of 104 college students to seek instructor help was studied as a function of student age and class size and whether a supportive statement was placed on the syllabus. Students were more willing to seek help when offered the support. Younger students were less willing in the neutral condition. (SLD)

New Zealand high school students (N=221) completed a questionnaire that examined the relationship among factors associated with professional psychological help-seeking behavior. Suicidal ideation, attitudes, psychological distress, treatment fears, and gender were some predictors accounting for 23% of students' self-rated help-seeking intentions.…

Investigates the emotional reactions associated with the bullying incident as reported by self-declared bullies and their victims, the behavioral reactions of victims, and the role of pupil sex and school level differences in emotional and behavioral reactions. Reports that victims experienced feelings of vengefulness, anger, and self-pity;…

Traditionally, African American students display a low-rate of seeking mental health treatment. Issues such as mistrust of White therapists, attitudes toward mental health problems, and African American spirituality affect their help-seeking behavior. The present study examined a sample of 134 African American students at a Historically Black…

Investigations into the reasons why people seek counseling have, for the most part, focused on approach factors, those variables that are associated with a potential client's increased likelihood of seeking psychological services. The purpose of this research, however, is to explore the role of avoidance factors, those factors that are associated…

Dr. Deanna Pledge is a licensed psychologist and professional counselor. She has worked in public and private settings for over a decade. She has been working with teens, children, and adults around abuse issues for the past ten years, and has written "When Something Feels Wrong: A Survival Guide About Abuse." In this interview she answers a…