Help-seeking intentions towards suicidal ideation among undergraduate students of Nepal: A cross-sectional study

Suicidal ideation is a common and growing concern among students globally. Students who have academic pressure, social transitions, and personal relationship issues are likely to face distressing thoughts in their lifetime. This study aimed to assess help-seeking sources and perceptions toward suicidal ideation among undergraduate students. A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted involving 422 undergraduate students. The general help-seeking questionnaire was used to determine help-seeking intentions. Frequencies, percentages, and standard deviations were calculated to determine individual characteristics. Univariate logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with help-seeking intentions. All the tests were performed at a 95% of confidence interval (CI), and variables with P-values <.05 were considered statistically significant. This study found that 58.5% and 38.4% of the participants were extremely likely to seek help from traditional healers and parents, respectively. Gender was significantly associated with intimate partner (odds ratios [OR] = 1.5, CI = 1.0-2.2), and traditional healer (OR = 0.3, CI = 0.1-0.5). Parents (OR = 0.5, CI = 0.3-0.8) and family members (OR = 0.4, CI = 0.2-0.6) were significantly associated with education. Age (OR = 1.6, CI = 1.1-2.4) and family type (OR = 1.8, CI = 1.1-3.0) were significantly associated with self-help preferences. Fear of criticism (34.2%) and stigma (20.3%) were the most common barriers to seeking help for any mental problems. The study findings suggested informal sources were more favorable sources for help-seeking than professional sources among students. School-based psychosocial interventions should be conducted to reduce fear of criticism and stigma among students while seeking help for any mental problems from any sources.