Cultural and psychological predictors of seeking psychological help among uni-versity students

Abstract

The prevalence of mental health problems among Chilean university students, coupled with the low percentage of those who seek psychological help, is a matter of concern. Cultural, psychological and clinical obstacles have been identified as influencing the process of seeking psychological help, however it is not clear how they affect this particular group. In the present study, the predictive factors of the intention to seek psychological help were identified in a sample of 99 university students from the Catholic University of Temuco. The results indicate that the best predictors of the intention to seek psychological help are positive cultural beliefs about, and expectations of, psychotherapy. These findings show that cultural factors such as socially shared beliefs about psychotherapy, and psychological factors such as expectations, both play a significant role. This provides important input for planning interventions aimed at increasing the numbers seeking psychological help in this group.