Examining Stigma as a Predictor of Formal vs Informal Help-Seeking Among College Students

Presentation Year

2020

College or Department

College of Professional Studies

Short Description of your Research or Creative Project (700 characters or less)

Psychological disorders are prevalent in college students, but fewer than 25% of students with mental disorders seek treatment. One factor important in predicting help-seeking is stigma. We looked at self-stigma and public stigma as related to formal and informal help-seeking. Self-stigma is conceptualized as internalizing feelings of prejudice toward oneself while public stigma represents prejudice about mental health held by others. We hypothesized that students with higher self-stigma would be less likely to seek both formal and informal help. We further hypothesized that higher public stigma is related to lower formal help-seeking, but have no relationship with informal help-seeking.

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Permission to Publish Work

No