Gender Differences Among College Students in Seeking and Discussing Mental Health

This study examines how gender shapes college students’ mental health help-seeking using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Although Generation Z students report high levels of psychological distress, engagement with campus mental health services remains low. Gender-homogeneous focus groups were conducted with undergraduate students at a large southeastern university to explore attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control related to seeking professional help and discussing mental health with peers. Findings revealed clear gender differences across all TPB constructs. Male students commonly associated help-seeking with weakness, described strong stigma within peer groups, and reported limited knowledge of how to access services. Female students expressed greater openness toward emotional disclosure and help-seeking in principle but reported logistical barriers, long wait times, and ethical hesitation about using resources perceived as scarce. In peer contexts, males largely avoided mental health conversations, whereas females described frequent emotional sharing that seldom transitioned into formal help-seeking. These findings suggest the need for qualitative gender-responsive approaches to promoting campus mental health services.