@article{ref1,
title="How psychological resources mediate and perceived social support moderates the relationship between depressive symptoms and help-seeking intentions in college students",
journal="British journal of guidance and counselling",
year="2016",
author="Kenny, Rachel and Dooley, Barbara and Fitzgerald, Amanda",
volume="44",
number="4",
pages="402-413",
abstract="There is a high prevalence of depression among college students, which is linked to lower levels of help-seeking intentions. However, there has been a lack of research examining variables that may help explain this relationship. The present study aimed to address this gap by examining whether psychological resources (optimism and self-esteem) mediate the relationship between depressive symptoms and help-seeking intentions, and whether this relationship is moderated by perceived social support. Participants were 8121 college students (66% female) aged 17-25 years (M = 20.42, SD = 1.90), who completed the My World Survey Post-Second Level, a national survey on youth mental health. Linear regression analysis confirmed that depressive symptoms predicted lower informal help-seeking intentions. Moderated mediation indicated that social support moderated the direct relationship between depressive symptoms and informal help-seeking intentions and that optimism and self-esteem mediated this relationship, when gender was controlled for. <br><br>FINDINGS indicate that social support and psychological resources help further our understanding of the relationship between depressive symptoms and help-seeking in young people. Campaigns promoting help-seeking in college students should focus on the beneficial role of social support and on fostering optimism and self-esteem as facilitators of help-seeking intentions.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0306-9885",
doi="10.1080/03069885.2016.1190445",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2016.1190445"
}