Self-stigma occurs when one internalizes negative stereotypes surrounding a publicly stigmatized identity or behavior. Asian Americans are likely to have high self-stigma seeking help and high public stigma of receiving psychological help and are less likely to seek mental health care than other Americans, even when experiencing distress. However, self-compassion has been shown to moderate the relationship between public stigma and self-stigma. In this study, Asian Americans (N = 234) were surveyed to address the relationship between public stigma, self-stigma, self-compassion, and mental help-seeking behaviors. A moderated mediation analysis was conducted and results indicated that public stigma predicts reduced mental help-seeking attitudes though self-stigma of seeking help. Self-compassion was found to significantly buffer the relationship between public stigma of receiving psychological help and mental healthseeking attitudes in our sample, but not the relationship between public stigma and self-stigma of seeking help. Clinical Impact StatementThis study suggests that Asian Americans experiencing public stigma of seeking psychological help are more likely to internalize that stigma and therefore less likely to have positive mental health help-seeking attitudes. Interventions designed to increase self-compassion may be helpful in reducing negative mental help-seeking attitudes among publicly stigmatized Asian Americans.
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