Predictors of the change in self-stigma following a single session of group counseling.

Abstract

One of the major obstacles to seeking psychological help is the stigma associated with counseling and therapy. Self-stigma, the fear of losing self-respect or self-esteem as a result of seeking help, is an important factor in the help-seeking process. In the present study, college students meeting a clinical cutoff for psychological symptoms participated in 1 session of group counseling that either contained therapist self-disclosure or did not. In general, participants reported significantly less self-stigma following the session. Working alliance-bond and session depth significantly predicted the change in self-stigma. Furthermore, self-stigma (as well as bond, depth, psychological symptoms, and being female) predicted the intention to seek help following the session. Self-stigma and session depth also predicted interest in continuing with counseling. The therapist self-disclosure condition, however, had no effect on the change in self-stigma, intentions to seek help, or interest in continuing with group counseling.

Development of the Help-Seeker Stereotype Scale.

“…Likewise, in a study of public and self-stigma on attitudes toward group counseling of 491 college students, self-stigma accounted for 52% of the variance in attitudes toward seeking group counseling, fully mediating the relationship between public stigma and attitudes (Vogel, Shechtman, & Wade, 2010). Among 263 undergraduate students with clinically-significant levels of distress, self-stigma was found to predict interest in continuing versus prematurely terminating counseling (Wade, Post, Cornish, Vogel, & Tucker, 2011). Lastly, Fung, Tsang, Corrigan, Lam, and Cheng (2007) found that greater self-stigma among 108 Chinese individuals with severe mental illness in psychiatric treatment predicted poorer psychosocial treatment attendance and participation.…”

“…The counselor could directly explore in session how the client's belief that help seekers are "pitiful" or "selfish" has impacted the client's view of him or herself, and explore ways of helping the client to challenge this maladaptive belief. In fact, challenging such beliefs is important, given that greater self-stigma has been linked to poorer treatment adherence and premature termination (Fung, Tsang, & Corrigan, 2007;Wade, Post, Cornish, Vogel, & Tucker, 2011).…”

Mental Health Stigma in the Military

“…Of 14 published studies to date (Luoma et al, 2008;Link, Struening, et al, 2002;McCay et al, 2007;Shin and Lukens, 2002;Alvidrez et al, 2009;Hammer and Vogel, 2010;Griffiths et al, 2004;MacInnes and Lewis, 2008;Knight, Wykes, and Hayward, 2006;Aho-Mustonen et al, 2011;K. Fung, Tsang, and Cheung, 2011;Lucksted et al, 2011;Wade, Post, et al, 2011;Adler et al, 2009), most utilized cognitive techniques (e.g., psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring) to teach people strategies to better control their thoughts, feelings, sensations, and memories. However, some included elements of acceptance and commitment therapy, which focuses on teaching people to notice, accept, and embrace their thoughts, feelings, and memories, rather than actively work to control them.…”

“…Eight of the 14 studies (57 percent) (Luoma et al, 2008;Shin and Lukens, 2002;Hammer and Vogel, 2010;Griffiths et al, 2004;MacInnes and Lewis, 2008;Lucksted et al, 2011;Wade, Post, et al, 2011;Adler et al, 2009) demonstrated significant reductions in self-stigma among those who participated in the intervention. Interventions to reduce self-stigma may be less effective for people with schizophrenia or a psychotic disorder, however; only two of seven studies (28 percent) targeting these populations demonstrated a reduction in self-stigma.…”

Theory of Planned Behavior

“…They found that participants' endorsement of public stigma and self-stigma were independently related to attitudes towards seeking counseling. Self-stigma was found to be negatively associated with intention to seek help among college students (Wade et al, 2011). Masuda et al (2009) found that Japanese international students, compared with US college students, reported having greater stigma toward individuals with psychological disorders.…”