Interview protocol (interview questions)

Research objective Research questions Component Interview questions

To identify the factors What are the key factors Help-Seeking Behaviour Q1: What specific skills or strategies do you feel
that are influencing help- that influence help- (Behavioural Factors) equipped with to navigate the process of seeking
seeking behaviours seeking behaviours 1. Skills help for mental health issues?
among university students among university Probing:
in Malaysia. students? 1. How do you approach seeking help for
mental health?
2. What skills or strategies do you rely on in
this process?

Q2: How do these skills contribute to or hinder

your willingness to seek support?
Probing:
1. How do these skills contribute to your
willingness to seek support?
2. How do these skills hinder your willingness
to seek support?

Q3: What specific skills do you believe are

crucial for university students in order to
effectively seek help for psychological distress?
Probing:
1. What specific skills should university
students possess to seek help?

Q4: How can these skills be developed or

enhanced?
Probing:
1. How can these skills be improved?

Help-Seeking Behaviour Q1: Can you share instances where you have
(Behavioural Factors) actively practised help-seeking behaviours in the
 2. Practice: past?
Probing: sub-questions
1. Could you share past experiences when
seeking help?

Q2: how did these experiences shape your

current approach to seeking help?
Probing:
1. How have these previous experiences
influenced the way you currently are?

Q3: In your view, what practical steps or actions

can universities take to encourage a culture
where seeking help for mental health concerns
becomes a norm?
Probing:
1. What specific actions do you believe
universities can take to promote or encourage
help-seeking behaviour?

Help-Seeking Behaviour Q1: How confident do you feel in your ability to

(Behavioural Factors) initiate and follow through with the help-seeking
3. Self-efficacy process for mental health?
Probing:
1. How do you feel when you seek
professional help?

Q2: What factors contribute to or challenge your

self-efficacy in this regard?
Probing:
1. What challenges do you face when you seek
help?
2. Is this affecting your self-efficacy?
 Q3: How does an individual's belief in their
ability to navigate and access mental health
support influence their likelihood of engaging in
help-seeking behaviours?
Probing: sub-questions
1. How do you feel when you engage in help-
seeking behaviours?
2. How confident do you feel in your own
ability to find and access mental health
support?

To explore the How do perceptions of Public Stigma Q1: In your community, what prevailing social
perceptions of public public stigma affect (Environment Factors) norms exist around mental health?
stigma that affect students’ willingness to 1. Social Norms: Probing:
students’ willingness to seek help for academic 1. Could you provide some examples or
seek help for academic or or other issues? situations of how the community views
other issues. mental health?
2. How do you feel about this?

Q2: How do these norms affect your comfort

level in openly discussing or seeking help for
mental health challenges?
Probing:
1. How does this view from the community
affect your comfort level in help-seeking?
2. How does this view from the community
affect your comfort level in discussing a topic
on mental health?
Q3: In your opinion, how do societal attitudes
towards mental health influence the way
university students perceive and respond to
psychological distress?
 Probing:
1. What is your opinion on social influence
that will affect university students in response
to psychological distress?
Public Stigma Q1: How would you describe the availability
(Environment Factors) and accessibility of mental health resources in
2. Access in your community?
Community: Probing:
1. Do you know where can you access mental
health resources?
2. What do you think about the availability of
mental health resources?

Q2: To what extent does this influence your

likelihood of seeking help?
Probing:
1. How will this directly affect your personal
decision-making when it comes to seeking
help for mental health issues?

Q3: From your perspective, what community

resources or support systems are easily
accessible for university students dealing with
mental health challenges?
Probing:
1. In your opinion, what resources that you
know in university that offer for students to
seek counselling services/professional help?
2. It is easily accessible?
3. Where can you look for the services?
(portal/advertisement at notice board/others)
Public Stigma Q1: What opinions or judgements of others
(Environment Factors) toward seeking help for mental health
 3. Influence on concerns?
Others: Probing:
2. What is your opinion when other/your
friends seek help for mental health
concerns?
Q2: In what ways do the opinions or judgments
of others impact your decision-making process
when it comes to seeking help for mental health
concerns?
Probing:
1. In your opinion, what are the things that
impact your decision-making to seek help?
2. Do any of your friends/family members
have opinions/judgements on your help-
seeking behaviour?

Q3: How do you think the public’s perception of

mental health issues affects the willingness of
university students to seek help, considering the
influence of peer opinions and societal
expectations?
Probing:
1. How do you think that public perception
toward university students who seek help?
2. Do you face any influence from peer
opinions and societal expectations?

To explore the role of How do self-stigma, Self-Stigma Q1: How would you describe your
self-stigma in shaping shape students’ (Personal Cognitive understanding of mental health and self-stigma?
students’ decisions in decisions to seek help? Factors) Probing:
help-seeking. 1. Knowledge: 1. How would you describe mental health?
2. How would you describe self-stigma?
 Q2: How does this knowledge influence your
perception of seeking help?
Probing:
2. How does this influence your
perception of help-seeking?
Q3: What specific misconceptions or lack of
information do university students commonly
have about mental health that may contribute to
self-stigma?
Probing:
1. What the misconceptions do university
students commonly have about mental
health?
2. Do you think university students lack this
information?
Self-Stigma Q1: What expectations do you hold about the
(Personal Cognitive outcomes of disclosing your mental health
Factors) concerns?
2. Expectations Probing:
1. What is the expectation about the outcome
when you let a professional know your
mental health concern?
2. What is your expectation in the progress of
help-seeking?

Q2: How do these expectations shape your

willingness to seek support?
Probing:
1. How do these expectations influence your
willingness to seek help?

Q3: How do you anticipate that personal beliefs

 and attitudes towards mental health among
university students might impact their
willingness to acknowledge and address
psychological distress?
Probing:
1. Can you provide specific examples or
scenarios that illustrate how your personal
beliefs that may influence university
students’ behaviours in addressing
psychological distress?

Self-Stigma Q1: What personal attitudes or beliefs do you

(Personal Cognitive hold regarding mental health treatment?
Factors) Probing:
3. Attitudes 1. What are your personal attitudes
toward mental health treatment?
(Please simplify this question – 1.
What are your thoughts and attitudes
about mental health treatment?
2. How about people who seeking mental
health treatment?
2. What is your belief that you hold on to?
Q2: How do these attitudes impact your
decisions around seeking help?
Probing:
1. How do these thoughts and attitudes
impact your decisions around help-seeking?
To identify the strategies What are the strategies Improving Help-Seeking Q1: What specific strategies or programs have
or steps done to improve or steps done to improve (Behaviour Among you observed or experienced that effectively
help-seeking behaviour help-seeking behaviour Students) promote a positive help-seeking culture among
among students. among students? students?
Probing: sub-questions
1. What strategies or programs do you know
that promote a positive help-seeking culture?
2. Have you seen any program that you know
is promoting a positive help-seeking culture?

Q2: In your opinion, what steps could

educational institutions take to create an
environment that encourages students to
proactively seek help for their mental health?
Probing:
1. In your opinion, what could the university
do to encourage students to actively seek
help?
2. In your opinion, what step could the
university take in encouraging students to
actively seek help?

Q3: From your experience, what strategies or

interventions have been effective in enhancing
help-seeking behaviours among university
students?
Probing:
1. From your experience, what strategies
have been made that are effective in helping
students to seek help?
2. In your opinion, what is the step or
program that is effective in encouraging help-
seeking behaviour among university
students?

Q4: In your opinion, what steps or initiatives

could universities implement to create a more
supportive environment that fosters a proactive
approach to seeking help for psychological
distress among students?
Probing:
1. In your opinion, what step could be
implemented to create more awareness in
help-seeking?
2. In your opinion, what could the university
do to foster a proactive environment for
students to seek help?
3. Suggest some of the interventions that can
be made to promote help-seeking behaviour.