Cited by 111Mental Health Treatment and AccessStudent Stress and CopingGender Roles and Identity Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 61 of the 62 references it cites were found in a registry or an index, and 1 are not checked yet; none of the 51 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Research Review: Help‐seeking intentions, behaviors, and barriers in college students – a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Open access

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of mental health problems among college students has increased over the past decade. Even when mental health services are available, many students still struggle to access these services. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to identify the rates at which students actively seek or consider using formal help and to determine the main reasons for not seeking help. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted on PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase to identify studies on help‐seeking behaviors, intentions, and barriers to help‐seeking among college students with mental health problems. Random effect models were used to calculate the pooled proportions. Results: Of the 8,919 identified studies, 62 met the inclusion criteria and were included ( n = 53 on help‐seeking behaviors, n = 21 on help‐seeking intentions, and n = 14 on treatment barriers). The pooled prevalence of active help‐seeking behaviors was 28% (179,915/435,768 individuals; 95% CI: 23%–33%, I 2 = 99.6%), and the aggregated prevalence of help‐seeking intentions was 41% (62,456/80161 individuals; 95% CI: 26%–58%, I 2 = 99.8%). Common barriers reported by students included a preference to address issues on their own, time constraints, insufficient knowledge of accessible resources, and a perceived lack of need for professional help. Conclusions: The findings highlight the gap between the mental health needs of the students and their actual help‐seeking rates. Although personal barriers are common, systemic or contextual challenges also affect college students' help‐seeking behaviors.

Checked 2026-11-11 · 1 reference not checked yet

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 62 studies to estimate formal help-seeking intentions, behaviors, and barriers among college students with mental health problems. It found that 41% intended to seek help but only 28% actively sought formal help, with self-reliance, time constraints, limited resource knowledge, and low perceived need among the most common barriers.

Key findings

  • Pooled active help-seeking behavior was 28% (179,915/435,768 individuals; 95% CI 23%–33%; I² = 99.6%) across 53 studies.
  • Pooled help-seeking intentions were 41% (62,456/80,161 individuals; 95% CI 26%–58%; I² = 99.8%) across 21 studies.
  • Help-seeking was especially low for alcohol and/or drug use problems: 12% for behavior (95% CI 4%–28%) and 14% for intentions (95% CI 2%–54%).
  • Common barriers were preference for self-management (41%; 95% CI 26%–59%), lack of time (41%; 95% CI 27%–56%), lack of knowledge of where to seek help (35%; 95% CI 20%–53%), and lack of perceived need (34%; 95% CI 19%–54%).

Methods

  • Systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA 2020, preregistered on OSF, searching PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase on 23 June 2021 and updating on 16 December 2023.
  • Included empirical, peer-reviewed studies of college students with mental health conditions or high distress that reported formal help-seeking behaviors, intentions, or barriers; 62 studies met criteria (53 behavior, 21 intention, 14 barrier).
  • Random-effects models using the DerSimonian-Laird estimator pooled logit-transformed proportions; heterogeneity was assessed with I², with subgroup analyses by country income level, risk of bias, student type, and compensation, plus publication-bias and sensitivity analyses.

Limitations

  • The paper states that it focused mainly on general college students, did not adequately cover specific populations such as international students or diverse ethnic groups, and examined only self-reported barriers, potentially missing contextual or university-level factors.
  • The paper also notes heterogeneous barrier reporting across studies, extremely high heterogeneity that remained high after excluding outliers, and that most included studies (87%) were from high-income countries, limiting generalizability to low- and middle-income countries.
  • The text makes evident additional concerns: 25 of 62 studies were classified as high risk of bias (40%), 54 reported low response rates (87%), and the included studies were largely cross-sectional with varied sampling frameworks and assessment methods.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1111/jcpp.14145

Cites

61 of 62 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Figures

Figure 1 PRISMA flowchart
Figure 1 PRISMA flowchartCC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 2 Forest plot of help‐seeking behaviors
Figure 2 Forest plot of help‐seeking behaviorsCC BY · PubMed Central
Figure 3 Forest plot of help‐seeking intentions
Figure 3 Forest plot of help‐seeking intentionsCC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

46 Own result · 17 Own method · 12 Not checked yet · 11 Check pending · 7 No full text of the sources · 5 No basis given · 3 Own interpretation · 2 Sources not found

Verify all 31 references — free account

Show all 67 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 15
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 25
36 of 36
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The included studies' measures of help-seeking behaviors and intentions are sufficiently comparable to be pooled in meta-analyses despite heterogeneous definitions, time frames, and types of help.

    “A series of meta‐analyses were conducted for help‐seeking behaviors, help‐seeking intentions, and each individual barrier to help‐seeking. Initially, studies examining help‐seeking behaviors in various mental health conditions were pooled.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The included studies' samples are representative of college students with mental health conditions generally, so the pooled prevalence estimates can be generalized to that population.

    “The findings highlight the gap between the mental health needs of the students and their actual help‐seeking rates.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Self-reported reasons for not seeking help accurately reflect the barriers that prevent college students from seeking professional help.

    “Barrier data were extracted from selected studies if reasons for not seeking help were provided.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Receiving current to lifetime treatment is a valid indicator of active help-seeking behavior.

    “The results showed that 28% ([95% CI: 23%–33%]; prediction interval: 15–17) of the students with mental health conditions received current to lifetime treatment.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    This is the first meta-analysis to explore the rates of help-seeking intentions, behaviors, and self-reported barriers among college students with mental health problems.

    “This is the first meta‐analysis to explore the rates of help‐seeking intentions, behaviors, and self‐reported barriers among college students with mental health problems.”
5 of 5

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Abrams Z., 2022, Student mental health is in crisis: Campuses are rethinking their approach, Monitor on Psychology, 53, 60
  2. Lee J., 2021, Stress, anxiety, and depression among undergraduate students during the COVID‐19 pandemic and their use of mental health services, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 9891
  3. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA), 2014, Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings

Cited by

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Metadata

Authors
Zhao, R., Amanvermez, Y., Pei, J., Castro‐Ramirez, F., Rapsey, C., Garcia, C., Ebert, D. D., Haro, J. M., Fodor, L. A., David, O. A., Rankin, O., Chua, S. N., Martínez, V., Bruffaerts, R., Kessler, R. C., & Cuijpers, P.
Affiliations
  • Amsterdam Public Health (NL)
  • Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology Tilburg University Tilburg The Netherlands
  • University of British Columbia (CA)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • University of Otago (NZ)
  • Department of Psychological Medicine University of Otago Dunedin New Zealand
  • Technical University of Munich (DE)
  • Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES)
  • Babeș-Bolyai University (RO)
  • DATA Lab International Institute for Advanced Studies of Psychotherapy and Applied Mental Health, Babeș‐Bolyai University Cluj‐Napoca Romania
  • Relate Mental Health Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
  • University of Chile (CL)
  • KU Leuven (BE)
Corresponding author
Zhao, Ruiying
Venue
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2025-03-12
Volume
66
Issue
10
Pages
1593-1605
ISSN
  • 0021-9630 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-7610
OpenAlex
W4408418997
Cited by
110
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 89 · 2025: 21
FWCI
13.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Lirias (KU Leuven) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Universidad de Chile (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Sage Therapeutics
  • Child Mind Institute
  • Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (1221230, NCS2021_081)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH125815)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Student Stress and Coping
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
Keywords
help-seeking, help-seeking intentions, help-seeking barriers, university students, student mental health, access to mental health care, time constraints
MeSH terms
Help-Seeking Behavior, Adolescent, Mental Disorders, Health Services Accessibility, Humans, Mental Health Services, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Students, Universities, Intention, Young Adult

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