Counselling on Campus: Academic Discipline as a Factor in Stigma, Attitude, and Awareness

Abstract

In the realm of higher education, universities offer indispensable counselling services designed to support students throughout their academic journey. However, the perception of and engagement with these services can vary significantly among students, often shaped by the academic discipline they pursue. This study delves into the complex interplay between students’ attitudes toward seeking professional help, self-stigmatisation related to help-seeking, and their awareness of counselling services within the college context. A total of 170 students participated in this quantitative research. The study employed the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH) to gauge self-stigmatisation tendencies and the Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form (ATSPPHS-SF) to assess students’ attitudes toward counselling. Along with that descriptive questions were asked to assess awareness of counselling services. The findings reveal a significant difference between self-stigmatisation and the willingness to seek counselling services among psychology and non-psychology students. However, there is a noteworthy absence of a significant discrepancy in the awareness of available counselling services within the college. These results underscore the dual nature of influence in academic discipline: while it fosters a positive attitude toward seeking help among psychology students, the institution is challenged to enhance the dissemination of information regarding the array of resources accessible to all students.