Disentangling self-stigma: Are mental illness and help-seeking self-stigmas different?

Abstract

Two established but disparate lines of research exist: studies examining the self-stigma associated with mental illness and studies examining the self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help. Whereas some researchers have implicitly treated these 2 constructs as synonymous, others have made the argument that they are theoretically and empirically distinct. To help clarify this debate, we examined in the present investigation the overlap and uniqueness of the self-stigmas associated with mental illness and with seeking psychological help. Data were collected from a sample of college undergraduates experiencing clinical levels of psychological distress (N = 217) and a second sample of community members with a self-reported history of mental illness (N = 324). Confirmatory factor analyses provide strong evidence for the factorial independence of the 2 types of self-stigma. Additionally, results of regression analyses in both samples suggest that the 2 self-stigmas uniquely predict variations in stigma-related constructs (i.e., shame, self-blame, and social inadequacy) and attitudes and intentions to seek help. Implications for researchers and clinicians interested in understanding stigma and enhancing mental health service utilization are discussed.

Correlations Between Opinions About Mental Illness and Attitudes Towards Psychological Help Seeking for a Mental Illness Among College Students in Kenya

“…This is consistent with other findings, [21, 22 23]. In a study of stigma and help seeking, Tucker et al [21] reported that stigmatizing opinions of mental illness predicted poor help seeking attitudes for a mental disorder among individuals. Similarly in a metaanalysis, Hadlaczky et al [22] & Clement et al [23] pointed out that improving knowledge of mental illness decreased their negative opinions about mental illness; in addition leading to an improvement of attitudes towards help seeking.…”

Development of the Help-Seeker Stereotype Scale.

“…Early conceptualizations, such as Link's (1987) Modified Labeling Theory, treated the stigma associated with the act of seeking help as a subset of the broader construct of mental illness stigma. However, more recent investigations have supported the independence and incremental validity of the two constructs (e.g., Ben-Porath, 2002;Tucker et al, 2013). In particular, Tucker and colleagues found that (a) a measure of the self-stigma of mental illness and a measure of the self-stigma of seeking help formed related but independent factors and (b) the measure of the self-stigma of seeking help predicted unique variance in attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and intentions to seek professional psychological help beyond the self-stigma of mental illness.…”

“…Therefore, I anticipated that stronger help-seeker stereotype endorsement, as the first step of self-stigma, would be associated with more negative attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. Fourth, because the stigma of seeking help is closely related to, yet independent from, the stigma of mental illness (Tucker et al, 2013), I anticipated that stronger help-seeker stereotype endorsement would be positively associated with stronger mental illness stereotype endorsement.…”

“…Specifically, the stigma of seeking help has been found to be parallel to-and independent from-the self-stigma of mental illness and in fact provides superior power in predicting help-seeking outcomes (Tucker et al, 2013). Tucker and colleagues found that (a) a measure of the self-stigma of mental illness and a measure of the selfstigma of seeking help formed related but independent factors and (b) the measure of the selfstigma of seeking help predicted unique variance in attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and intentions to seek professional psychological help beyond the self-stigma of mental illness.…”

Burnout and Stigma of Seeking Help in Lithuanian Mental Health Care Professionals

“…On the other hand, mental health specialists may experience secondary stigma as they are often treated less positively in the professional and public society when compared to other specialists (Schulze, 2007;Verhaeghe, & Bracke, 2012). Due to this stigmatization, mental health care professionals might develop self-stigma -one associated with seeking treatment and help for themselves when needed (Corrigan, 2004;Tucker et al, 2013). The help seeking stigma "is the perception that a person who seeks psychological treatment is undesirable or socially unacceptable" (Vogel, Wade, & Haake, 2006, p. 325).…”