Assessing Help-Seeking Attitudes, Service Utilization, and Provider Preferences Among Undergraduate Students With Self-Reported Sexual Functioning Concerns

Researchers who have studied help-seeking for sexual concerns have consistently documented that individuals, couples, and families underutilize services. Additionally, research has demonstrated that individuals endorse myriad barriers to seeking informal and formal help, especially for sexual functioning concerns. This study examined the types of sexual concerns faced by a sample of 347 of undergraduate students, their provider preferences in the past, present, and future, and their help-seeking behaviors for formal and informal help sources. Despite the occurrence of sexual functioning concerns in the current study, services that address sexual concerns were largely underutilized. However, barriers to seeking help and negative attitudes toward seeking help did not seem to be primary reasons for the underutilization of services for the current sample. Results also indicated that providers that focus specifically on the treatment of sexual functioning concerns are among the most underutilized services