Search

Although the nature of services provided by college guidance/counseling centers in the Philippines have evolved from an almost exclusive academic focus to a more diversified one, little is known as to who is taking advantage of this expanded service and what may be preventing others from doing so. More information is needed since psychological stress from personal concerns impacts the well-being of Filipino college students, and, in particular, their likelihood to have a positive academic experience. Data were collected from six introductory psychology classes from three colleges in the Philippines. The data consisted of responses to six measures of constructs that prior research has found to be related. These constructs are: locus of control orientation, levels of distress, likelihood to conceal, level of social support, attitudes toward counseling, and likelihood to seek counseling. Statistical analysis of the results was performed and the findings interpreted to determine whether or not specific models of help-seeking behavior would apply to the Filipino college student population. Path analysis was used to determine the best fitting model among the eight that were studied. Based on the best fitting model, specific conclusions were drawn and these are: (1) college students in the Philippines are more likely to seek counseling when their level of distress is high; (2) distress is higher when social support networks are impaired, individuals have an external locus of control orientation, and they tend to conceal personal information from others; (3) social support is less in Filipino college students who tend to have an external orientation and who are likely to conceal personal information from others; and (4) negative attitudes toward counseling are more likely in students who tend to have an external orientation and who are likely to conceal personal information from others. Implications for service providers point toward a more active role in providing services to the students in the classrooms while exploring various way of educating the students about the different factors that contribute to psychological distress and isolation.