Abstract
Global research on effective, evidence-based school-based mental health programs remains limited, with mental health services in many regions, including the Philippines, often underutilized. In the Philippines, the growing mental health concerns among students are exacerbated by a significant shortage of qualified mental health professionals. This study aimed to examine predictors of help-seeking behaviors among students at a private university in the Philippines and to provide insights for the recalibration of school-based mental health programs. Using a descriptive correlational research design, the researcher employed four standardized instruments to gather data, which were subsequently analyzed through multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that students exhibited high levels of mental health literacy (X = 123.98, SD = 11.05) and help-seeking behaviors (X = 6.12, SD = 1.06), although their psychological well-being was only at an average level (X = 51.11, SD = 11.24). Additionally, fearful attachment styles were prevalent among the students (f = 406). The analysis further showed that mental health literacy, the mental health inventory, and the "close" dimension of attachment styles were the strongest predictors of help-seeking behaviors, as indicated by an F-statistic of 55.15 and a p-value of < .05. This suggests that the model explained a significant portion of the variance in help-seeking behaviors. The adjusted R-squared value of .22 indicates that these predictors accounted for approximately 22% of the variability in help-seeking behaviors. These findings have informed the development of a recalibrated school-based mental health program with a focus on improving mental health literacy, enhancing help-seeking behaviors, and addressing fearful attachment styles among students.
