Overview
The General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ) was developed to assess intentions to seek help from different sources and for different problems.The GHSQ uses a matrix format that can be modified according to purpose and need. Within this format, help sources and problem-types can be modified to meet sample characteristics and study requirements. The authors suggest that a comprehensive measure of help-seeking intentions would normally include formal and informal help source options, in addition to “self” or “no one” (e.g., counsellor, family, friends, no one).Scoring & Interpretation
The GHSQ asks participants to respond to each problem-type by rating their help-seeking intentions on a 7-point scale ranging from 1 (“extremely unlikely”) to 7 (“extremely likely”) for each help source option including “no one.” Higher scores indicate higher intentions. the GHSQ uses the following standard problem probe within which targeted problem-types can be interchanged: “If you were having [problem-type], how likely is it that you would seek help fromthe following people?”Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency
Total score Cronbach’s alpha = .85 When split into two subscales: problem type (e.g., suicidal problems) Cronbach’s alpha = .83) and personal emotional problems (Cronbach’s alpha = .70).
Test-Retest Reliability
Total score test-retest reliability assessed over a three-week period = .92. Problem type: suicidal problems, test-retest reliability .88, personal emotional problems test-retest reliability = .86.
Factor Structure
Validity
Convergent and divergent validity were supported with positive correlations found between students’ intentions to seek counselling and the perceived quality of their prior mental health experiences, and by a negative correlation between the students’ intentions to seek counselling and their self-re-ported barriers to seeking professional psychological help. Significant associations between help-seeking intentions and actually seeking help from the corresponding source in the following three weeks support the pre-dictive and construct validity of the measure.