The purpose of this study was to examine the relative importance of the avoidance factors(self-disclosure, self-concealment, anticipated risk and utility of self-disclosure) and approach factors(participants' biological sex, psychological distress, an...
The purpose of this study was to examine the relative importance of the avoidance factors(self-disclosure, self-concealment, anticipated risk and utility of self-disclosure) and approach factors(participants' biological sex, psychological distress, and social network orientation) on the perceived likelihood of seeking psychological services and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. The participants were 394 undergraduates students(male=207, female=172) in Pusan. Gender differences in self-disclosure, psychological distress, attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and intentions to seek counseling found significant. The results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that avoidance factors predicted the attitudes toward seeking psychological help more than the approach factors did. Specifically anticipated risk, anticipated utility of self-disclosure, participant's biological sex, and social network orientation were the significant predictors for help seeking attitudes. However, the results also suggested that the approach factors(biological sex and psychological distress) and the attitudes toward counseling have more important implication for predicting the intent to seek counseling than the avoidance factors. Implications for counseling and further research are discussed.