Development of a new scale of attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help: Some evidence of reliability and varidity

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop a scale of attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help (SASPPH) and to examine its reliability and validity. Exploratory factor analyses of a sample of 391 undergraduate students revealed a 4-factor solution of internally consistent subscales, including “confidence in and expectations from professional help,” “fear of stigma,” “reluctance to face an unfamiliar situation,” and “indifference to psychological help.” Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from.728 to.855. This study provided some evidence of the validity of the new scale while examining the relationship between the SASPPH and measurements of attitudes toward seeking counseling, perception of clinical psychologists, and help-seeking intention. Furthermore, as pointed out by some previous studies, female students showed more positive attitudes than male students, and those who had previous experience expressed less indifference.