Psychological and Cultural Influences on Koreans' Help-Seeking Attitudes

This study examined the influence of gender, cultural variables (i.e., horizontal and vertical individualism), and personal psychological variables (i.e., psychological distress, social-network orientation, and self-concealment) on attitudes toward seeking counseling in Korea. For the 142 college student participants, gender, social network orientation, and self-concealment significantly influenced attitudes toward seeking professional help. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis suggested that higher scores on negative social network orientation and self-concealment were associated with lower attitudes toward seeking professional help. Men showed more negative help-seeking attitudes than women. Implications of the findings for developing and delivering counseling services in Korea are discussed.