Perceived behavioural control in seeking psychological help among students from two public universities in Tanzania: a mixed-methods study

Abstract Higher learning institutions have established various support services, including psychological help, to help students navigate the challenges of university life. Previous studies, however, offer limited information on university students’ perceived behavioural control in seeking psychological help and the reasons behind these perceptions. As a mixed-methods study, this study employed a concurrent embedded design to collect data from 740 convenience-sampled students. The study used questionnaires and focus group discussions to collect data. Descriptive statistics, independent t -tests, and One-way ANOVA were used to analyse quantitative data. The researcher analysed qualitative data using thematic analysis. The findings showed that most students (83.6%) had high perceived behavioural control in seeking psychological help. The focus group discussion findings corroborated and expanded the quantitative findings by providing contextual explanations for students’ high and low perceived behavioural control in seeking psychological help. High perceived behavioural control was associated with the perceived availability and accessibility of psychological help services, social support, and time. In contrast, low perceived behavioural control was associated with the perceived unreliability of psychological help providers and financial barriers to accessing services. Female students reported slightly higher perceived behavioural control than male students. Overall, the findings support the theory of planned behaviour, which suggests that perceived behavioural control is shaped by control beliefs about the presence or absence of resources and opportunities that facilitate or hinder the behaviour. The findings are useful for African counselling contexts, as they offer guidance on promoting the ease of seeking psychological help among university students, including strategies such as ensuring the availability and accessibility of psychological help services; affordable services might encourage university students to utilise them. This study highlights implications, limitations, and areas for further research.