Abstract
Patterns of help-seeking behavior observed in international and local students appeared to be related to demographic factors, daily living stresses, support network and individualist or collectivist orientation values. Australian born and First Language Other Than English (FLOTE) students attending Curtin University in Western Australia were surveyed using the Network Orientation Support (NOS) and the Individualism-Collectivism Scale (INCOL). International students from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong were surveyed using the above instruments and the International Student Questionnaire developed by Lauretta Bradley. Acculturation levels were explored by simple questions on reading English skills, language preference and demographic data. Help-seeking behavior was assessed through inquiring on utilization of health and counselling services. International students from collectivist societies, having consistent social support and experiencing less difficulties in their settlement process were less likely to seek help from health and counselling services. These students utilized more informal sources of support such as relatives and friends when experiencing difficulties. FLOTE students presented similar patterns of help-seeking as the Australian born sample and underused health and counselling services. Australian born students with reduced social support and individualist values tended to display more help-seeking behavior which was channeled through their use of counselling services.