Help! I Need Somebody: Help-Seeking Behaviors Across Domains in International Students

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 78
  In Roundtable Session: International Students in Curricular and Cocurricular Contexts

Abstract

Higher education in the United States can pose unique challenges for international students (Andrade, 2006). Help-seeking behaviors may aid academic success for international students. Empirical work exists on academic and mental health help-seeking separately; however, relationships among help-seeking domains and among help-seeking and GPA are largely unknown. This project filled three gaps in extant literature using survey responses from 896 international undergraduates and graduates: 1) help-seeking behaviors are related across academic and health domains, 2) visiting ISS and diversity centers is positively associated with several other forms of help-seeking, and 3) visiting ISS increases the likelihood of having high GPA for graduate students. Results reveal the central role ISS plays in international student success and have implications for help-seeking interventions.

Authors

• Wenxin Zhang, The University of Arizona

• Monica K Erbacher, University of Arizona