Abstract
There is a rising concern about the mental health of academic staff in higher education, fuelled by increasing workload and pressure (Hammoudi Halat et al., 2023). This study explored help-seeking behaviours among academic staff, focusing on whether academic staff utilise mental health services at their institutions and identifying factors that influence help-seeking behaviour. The main goal was to contribute to a more comprehensive knowledge of mental health help-seeking concerns in academia. The research was based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, which helped to clarify the help-seeking process. Employing a qualitative approach, the study analysed data from 13 academic staff members from South African universities. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews, and analysis was done using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to better understand academics’ views on seeking mental health support. The findings revealed four themes: (a) Help-seeking behaviours, (b) Facilitators of help-seeking, (c) Hindrances to help-seeking, and (4) Motivation to seek help. The themes provide insights into how, when, and where academics seek help, offering a dynamic understanding of their help-seeking behaviours. This is complemented by identifying factors that hinder help-seeking as well as those that facilitate it. Additionally, the motivations behind academics seeking help were explored. Implications and concluding recommendations are explored.