Psychological Counselling Need among Nepalese Adolescents: A Cross-Cultural Study

Abstract

Adolescence is a time of significant change, encompassing hormonal, physical, social, and cognitive development. While most adolescents transition into healthy adulthood, this period also increases vulnerability to mental health issues. Counseling needs assessment helps counselors understand clients’ issues, aiding problem-solving, intervention, evaluation, and diagnosis. Adolescents require a safe space to address developmental challenges and explore their identity.
This study aimed to understand the influence of age, ethnicity, and religion on psychological counseling needs. The study examines the relationship between age, education, ethnicity, and religion with psychological counseling needs. A survey was conducted to collect data from 344 Koshi Province and Karnali Province of Nepal students. Purposive sampling was used to collect the data. The data collection instrument employed is the Psychological Counseling Need Scale (PCNS), a self-report questionnaire comprising 25 items, with response categories including always, often, sometimes, rarely, and never.
The study sample comprised 344 students, including 187 females and 157 males. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. Likewise, the mean and standard deviation of a few demographic details, such as age and educational level, were also calculated. The descriptive statistics were also analyzed, i.e., mean and SD of total scores. The mean age is 14.76, the level of education is 8.44, and the total score is 72.23. Here, age, education, and religion are related to psychological counseling needs. Among the 344 students, 39.2% were found to need counseling.