title: Assessing the utility of the willingness/prototype model in predicting help-seeking decisions.
abstract: Prior research on professional psychological help-seeking behavior has operated on the assumption that the decision to seek help is based on intentional and reasoned processes. However, research on the dual-process prototype/willingness model (PWM; Gerrard, Gibbons, Houlihan, Stock, & Pomery, 2008) suggests health-related decisions may also involve social reaction processes that influence one's spontaneous willingness (rather than planned intention) to seek help, given conducive circumstances. The present study used structural equation modeling to evaluate the ability of these 2 information-processing pathways (i.e., the reasoned pathway and the social reaction pathway) to predict help-seeking decisions among 182 college students currently experiencing clinical levels of psychological distress. Results indicated that when both pathways were modeled simultaneously, only the social reaction pathway independently accounted for significant variance in help-seeking decisions. These findings argue for the utility of the PWM framework in the context of professional psychological help seeking and hold implications for future counseling psychology research, prevention, and practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA50014, USA. hammer@iastate.edu
authors.forename: Joseph H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hammer
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Vogel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003376:Counseling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D015146:Midwestern United States; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult