The Relationship of University Students' Professional Psychological Help-Seeking Attitudes with their Attachment Styles and Personality Traits

University years can be perceived by a young adult as a complex time involving many changes. In this period, the individual encounters various problems that s/he needs to overcome. Since young people are not always able to solve their problems on their own in this critical period, they seek professional help. There are many individual and environmental variables that affect university students' attitudes of seeking professional psychological help. The present study investigated the relationships between university students' attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help, their attachment styles, and personality traits. The study group consisted of 786 university students, of whom 441 were female, 320 were male, and 25 declined to state gender. Demographic Information Form, Attitudes Towards Seeking Psychological Help Scale-S, Relationship Scales Questionnaire and Adjective-Based Personality Test were administered to the participants. The obtained data were analyzed by using the Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and multiple linear regression analysis techniques. The results of the analyses showed that the attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help positively and significantly correlated with the secure attachment style, while it significantly but negatively correlated with the preoccupied attachment style. The attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help also showed a significant correlation with the traits of extraversion, openness, good-temper, and responsibility.