Chinese University Students’ Perspectives on Help-Seeking and Mental Health Counseling

Xuan Ning, Josephine Pui-Hing Wong, Silang Huang, Yina Fu, Xiaojie Gong, Lizeng Zhang, Carla Hilario, Kenneth Po-Lun Fung, Miao Yu, Maurice Kwong-Lai Poon, Shengli Cheng, Jianguo Gao and Cun-Xian Jia
Additional contact information
Xuan Ning: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University-Beijing Normal University United International College, Zhuhai 519087, China
Josephine Pui-Hing Wong: Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Silang Huang: Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Yina Fu: Department of Social Work, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
Xiaojie Gong: Department of Sociology, University of Jinan, Jinan 250024, China
Lizeng Zhang: Department of Philosophy, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China
Carla Hilario: School of Nursing, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Kenneth Po-Lun Fung: Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
Miao Yu: Department of Social Work, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
Maurice Kwong-Lai Poon: School of Social Work, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
Shengli Cheng: Department of Social Work, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
Jianguo Gao: Department of Social Work, Shandong University, Jinan 250100, China
Cun-Xian Jia: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: Psychological distress and mental illness have become increasingly pervasive among Chinese university students. However, many university students who need mental health treatment or psychological support do not actively seek help from professional counselors or service providers, which could lead to poor mental health outcomes. To promote help-seeking, we undertook a qualitative study to understand Chinese university students’ perspectives on help-seeking and mental health counseling. We conducted 13 focus group interviews with students in six universities in Jinan, China, and altogether 91 (62%) female students, and 56 (38%) male students participated in the study. Our results indicate that students’ misconception and distrust of on-campus counseling, stigma of mental illness, low mental health literacy, and hard-to-access mental health services are the major barriers that impede students help-seeking behaviors. Internal struggles and systematic and organizational barriers are identified to shed light on future work to promote mental health literacy among Chinese university students.

Keywords: Chinese university students; help-seeking; mental health; mental health counseling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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