Abstract

The aims of this study are to examine the psychometric properties of the Barriers to Adolescents Seeking Help Scale-brief version (BASH-B) in university students and to examine sociodemographic differences in barriers to help-seeking in students with mental health problems and who are not in treatment. Participants were 1536 university students (Mean age = 19.7 years, 49% women) who completed the BASH-B, psychopathology measures, and sociodemographic information. The analysis included confirmatory factor analysis, reliability, validity based on the relationship with other variables, and bivariate analyses. The two-factor solution (Perceived Need for Autonomy and Help-seeking Fears) had better fit and acceptable internal consistencies for the Fears subscale, but poor for the Autonomy subscale. Among those who screened positive for mental health problems and were not in current treatment (n = 826), the most important help-seeking barriers were self-reliance and economic resources. Significantly higher Autonomy scores were observed in cisgender men and non-indigenous respondents, while higher Fears scores were observed in participants who are trans, non-heterosexual, of middle and low socioeconomic status, those who formerly lived in rural settings, and those with public health insurance. The Chilean version of the BASH-B had mostly adequate psychometric properties in university students, which contributes to the assessment of barriers to help-seeking in this population. The results suggest group differences in barriers to professional help-seeking, which may be useful when developing actions to promote service use.