title: Measuring help-seeking behaviors: factor structure, reliability, and validity among youth with disabilities.
abstract: Existing measures of help-seeking focus on assessing attitudes and beliefs, rather than specific behaviors, toward help-seeking. This study described the development of a self-report measure of informal help-seeking behaviors (HSB). Participants were 228 high school students (148 males, 80 females) with disabilities from four states. Factor analyses revealed three underlying factors, each addressing a different source of help: parent, peer, and teacher. The HSB had good internal reliability and moderate validity. Results from regression analyses suggested that help-seeking behaviors toward parents and teachers contributed uniquely to students' self-ratings of school bonding, life satisfaction, and career outcome expectations. Help-seeking behaviors toward peers was a negative predictor of career outcome expectations. The value of the HSB as a research instrument was discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Specialties, MSC05 3040, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. Electronic address: ykp@unm.edu.
authors.forename: Yen K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.affiliation: Counseling Psychology and Human Services Department, 261 HEDCO Education Bldg., 5251 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5251, USA. Electronic address: ellenmcw@uoregon.edu.
authors.forename: Ellen Hawley
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: McWhirter
authors.affiliation: Special Education and Clinical Sciences Department, 209 Clinical Services Bldg., 5260 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5295, USA. Electronic address: cjmurray@uoregon.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010290:Parents; D010379:Peer Group; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020377:Self Efficacy; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Disabilities; Help-seeking; Life satisfaction; Outcome expectations; School bonding