Measuring the prevalence of psychological symptoms and the predictors associated with seeking counseling and psychological help among university students

Objective To investigate the prevalence of psychological symptoms (PS) among university students and the predictors associated with seeking counseling and psychological help among students. Participants: A total of 663 students from three Jordanian universities participated in this study. Methods: A cross-sectional, correlational design was applied. Participants reported on the Attitude toward Seeking Professional Help Scale and the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-21. Results: Students reported higher mean scores on the symptom checklist and had a poor attitude toward seeking counseling with low confidence in the counseling services. PS predicted that less than 7% of students would seek counseling with no difference among all age groups, gender, or specializations. Conclusion: High prevalence and low confidence influenced students' behavior toward seeking counseling and psychological help. There is a need to incorporate topics explaining the importance of counseling into different university courses, while emphasizing that it is neither stigmatizing nor shameful to seek professional help.