Stigma Effects on Therapy-Seeking

The stigmatizing nature of mental health and its treatment options have been identified as obstacles for individuals who require mental health services from actually seeking out treatment. These negative attitudes can be perceived from the general public (public stigma) or may be held by the individual themselves (personal stigma). Though personal stigma has been consistently linked to lower treatment seeking behavior in past research, the effect of public stigma shows a weaker correlation to no correlation to treatment seeking. While past research has explored the effects of public and personal stigma on their own, very few studies have examined a possible interaction effect if an individual experiences both forms of stigma. We hypothesize that both public and personal stigma, on their own, will be correlated with lower levels of treatment seeking behavior. We also hypothesize there will be an interaction effect of public and personal stigma, specifically that the presence of both will drastically decrease treatment seeking. The survey utilizes previously-tested measures including the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale – Short Form (ATSPPHS-SF) and an altered version of Perceived Stigma and Barriers to Care for Psychological Problems (PSBCPP). A minimum sample size for the study is 160 participants. This study has been IRB approved and is currently a work-in-progress as data is being collected among college students. The data is being collected through an electronic survey and paper flyers. Results will be presented at Scholar’s Week. Keywords: Public Stigma, Personal Stigma, Treatment Seeking