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Help-Seeking Preference of College Students in Urban China After the Implementation of the "Open-Door" Policy

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  • Kam Weng Boey

    (Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China)

Abstract

A sample of 466 college students (228 males, 238 females) in urban China completed a questionnaire to indicate their help-seeking preferences with respect to 8 types of problem. The results indicated that our subjects, particularly male students, preferred to rely on their own in resolving their problems, although this self-reliant tendency was less obvious for problems of future employment and severe psychological distress. When help was sought, the tendency to rely on parents was found to be stronger among females than males. Male students were more likely than their female counterparts to seek help from friends and psychiatric consultation. Nevertheless, there was still great reluctance among the college students to use mental health services, particularly psychiatric consultation. Lack of credibility of the professionals was a barrier more negative than stigmatization which prevented students from seeking psychiatric consultation. Moral rather than psychosocial attribution of psychiatric illness was most predictive of the tendency to use mental health services. Findings inconsistent with those reported in other Chinese communities are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Kam Weng Boey, 1999. "Help-Seeking Preference of College Students in Urban China After the Implementation of the "Open-Door" Policy," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 45(2), pages 104-116, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:45:y:1999:i:2:p:104-116
    DOI: 10.1177/002076409904500203
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Rickwood, D. J. & Braithwaite, V. A., 1994. "Social-psychological factors affecting help-seeking for emotional problems," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 563-572, August.
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    1. Louise T. Higgins & Gareth Davey & Xiang Gao & Richang Zheng & Zijun Ni & Lijun Lang, 2008. "Counselling in China," Psychology and Developing Societies, , vol. 20(1), pages 99-109, January.
    2. Daniel Fu Keung Wong & Angus Yuk Kit Lam & Ada Poon & Amy Yin Man Chow, 2012. "Gender differences in mental health literacy among Chinese-speaking Australians in Melbourne, Australia," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 58(2), pages 178-185, March.
    3. Shengquan Ye & Terry Leung & Bong Mok, 2011. "Measuring Mutual Help Willingness and Criteria among Hong Kong People: Confirmatory Factor Analyses," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 103(1), pages 119-130, August.
    4. Cheung, Chau-kiu & Chan, Raymond Kwok-hong, 2008. "Facilitating achievement by social capital in Japan," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 2261-2277, December.

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