Examining factors associated with mental health stigma and attitudes toward help-seeking among international college students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

International students in the United States (U.S.) are at increased risk for mental health challenges, but less likely than their U.S.-born peers to seek professional mental health support. We administered an online survey to 132 international students enrolled at 14 U.S. colleges and universities to explore whether demographics, time in the U.S., religiosity, prior contact with people experiencing mental illness, individualism, and collectivism were associated with stigmatizing attitudes and mental health help-seeking. Only increased contact with mental illness was significantly associated with lower mental health stigma in this sample. Identifying as a woman, having more prior contact with mental illness, and collectivism were associated with positive attitudes toward help-seeking, while individualism was associated with negative attitudes toward help-seeking. Interventions that normalize and destigmatize mental health challenges should be adapted to reflect the unique experiences of international students, and new interventions may seek to highlight the value of increased contact and collectivistic attitudes in facilitating mental health help-seeking.