A Meta-analysis of Gender Differences in Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help

Abstract

Objective: The present study aims to examine gender differences in attitudes toward professional psychological help–seeking behavior and how gender differences could be affected by other cultural factor such as race. Participants: The authors selected studies that involved undergraduate and graduate students as samples, making the total number of participants in this meta-analysis 5,713. Methods: Statistical procedures were administrated by the MIX (Meta-analysis with Interactive eXplanations) program, which does meta-analyses. Results and Conclusions: The results indicated that gender itself was a significant predictor on attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. In addition, individual's cultural background (eg, Western versus non-Western ethnicity) moderated the gender differences on attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. Practical implications for mental health professionals in college settings were discussed.

Keywords:

• gender differences
• help-seeking behavior
• meta-analysis