DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION SCALE OF HELP SEEKING BEHAVIOR FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The current research explored the patterns of help-seeking behavior among university students in the Pakistani cultural context. In the first phase, 10 students from 4 universities were interviewed individually to generate an item pool of 38 help-seeking behavior as experienced by them. After excluding duplication and repetition, the list of 29 items was piloted on 4 university students as a self-report measure of a 4-point rating scale (Help-Seeking Behavior Scale). Finally, by using a convenient sample technique, 300 university students (50% men and 50% women) were given the final list of 29 items. General Help Seeking Questionnaire (Wilson et al., 2005), and a demographic form was used. Principal Component factor analysis yielded a two-factor solution namely intrapersonal and interpersonal. The scale was found to have high internal consistency, convergent validity, and split-half reliability. The results are discussed in terms of the implications of help-seeking behavior for student counseling services.