title: The Theory of Planned Behavior as it predicts potential intention to seek mental health services for depression among college students.
abstract: Between 9.5% and 31.3% of college students suffer from depression (American college health association national college health assessment II: reference group executive summary spring 2013. Amer. Coll. Health Assoc. 2013; Eagan K, Stolzenberg EB, Ramirez JJ, Aragon, MC, Suchard, RS, Hurtado S. The American freshman: national norms fall 2014. Higher Educ. Res. Inst.; 2015). Universities need to understand the factors that relate to care-seeking behavior.
  
  
  
  Across 3 studies, to relate attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioral control to intention to seek mental health services, and to investigate barriers to care-seeking.
  
  
  
  University college students (N = 845, 64% female, 26% male, and 10% unspecified).
  
  
  
  New measures were created in Studies 1 and 2, and were examined using structural equation modeling in Study 3.
  
  
  
  Partially consistent with the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, I, Fishbein, M. Understanding Attitudes and Predicting Social Behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall; 1980), a model with an excellent fit revealed that more positive attitudes about care and higher perceived behavioral control directly predicted higher intention to seek mental health services.
  
  
  
  Educating college students about mental health disorders and treatments, enhancing knowledge about available services, and addressing limited access to long-term care might improve treatment rates for students suffering from depression.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , California State University, Sacramento , Sacramento , California , USA.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bohon
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , California State University , Stanislaus, Turlock , California , USA.
authors.forename: Kelly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.affiliation: c Department of Internal Medicine , University of California, Davis , Davis , California , USA.
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Kravitz
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , California State University, Sacramento , Sacramento , California , USA.
authors.forename: Philip C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Cello
authors.affiliation: d Department of Clinical Pediatrics , School of Medicine, University of California, Davis , Davis , California , USA.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernandez Y Garcia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002140:California; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D013333:Student Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: College students; community health; counseling; mental health