Gender, Self-stigma, and Public Stigma in Predicting Attitudes toward Psychological Help-seeking

Abstract

Using a sample of university students (N = 362), the role of gender and both the self-stigma and public stigma associated with one's decision to seek psychological help in predicting attitudes toward psychological help-seeking were examined. Moreover, gender differences regarding both the self-stigma and the public stigma associated with psychological help-seeking were investigated. Participants completed a demographic data form, the Self-stigma of Seeking Help Scale, the Social Stigma Scale for Receiving Psychological Help, and the Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form. The results of the hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that although both gender and the self-stigma associated with psychological help-seeking significantly predicted attitudes toward seeking psychological help, public stigma was not a significant predictor of attitudes toward seeking psychological help. Moreover, 24% of the variance in attitudes was accounted for by the variables of gender and self-stigma in the model. In addition, the results of the current study confirmed the findings of previous research which indicated that males are more likely to experience self-stigma and public stigma associated with psychological help-seeking when compared to females. Further results and implications were discussed.