Racial and ethnic minority college students' stigma associated with seeking psychological help: Examining psychocultural correlates.

Abstract

Many college students underuse professional psychological help for mental health difficulties. The stigma associated with seeking such help appears to be one of the reasons for this underuse. Levels of psychological distress and past use of counseling/psychotherapy have been found to be important correlates of stigma associated with seeking psychological help (Obasi & Leong, 2009; Vogel, Wade, & Haake, 2006). For racial and ethnic minorities, the hindering effects of self-stigma and perceived stigmatization by others on treatment seeking may further be compounded by their relationships with their own ethnic groups, with other ethnic groups, and with the dominant society. This study used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test a model that explored the effects of psychological distress and psychocultural variables (i.e., ethnic identity, other-group orientation, perceived discrimination) on perceived stigmatization by others and self-stigma for seeking psychological help, controlling for past use of counseling/psychotherapy. The sample consisted of 260 African American, 166 Asian American, and 183 Latino American students. SEM multigroup analyses indicated measurement invariance, but partial structural invariance, across racial/ethnic groups. Across all 3 groups, higher levels of psychological distress and perceived racial/ethnic discrimination, respectively, predicted higher levels of perceived stigmatization by others for seeking psychological help, which, in turn, predicted greater self-stigma for seeking psychological help. Higher levels of other-group orientation predicted lower levels of self-stigma of seeking psychological help across groups. Higher levels of ethnic identity predicted lower levels of self-stigma of seeking psychological help only for African Americans. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

AAPI college students’ willingness to seek counseling: The role of culture, stigma, and attitudes.

“…Consistent with our hypotheses, Asian cultural values related to a diminished willingness to seek counseling through public stigma (Asian val ues -* ■ public stigma -* self-stigma -* attitudes -> willingness) and stigma by close others (Asian values -> stigma by close others -> self-stigma -> attitudes -» willingness) specific indirect path ways. These findings were consistent with prior stigma (e.g., specific ordering of three stigma domains and indirect effects of Asian values through public stigma; Cheng et al, 2013;Ludwikowski et al, 2009;Miville & Constantine, 2007;Vogel et al, 2006Vogel et al, , 2007 and attitudes (e.g., relationship between Asian values and willingness was nonsignificant when attitudes was modeled; Kim & Omizo, 2003;Liao et al, 2005) research in the willingnessto-seek-counseling domain. One possible explanation for this phe nomenon might be that within the Asian cultural context, being different-going against the flow-is contrary to very strong societal and cultural norm against seeking counseling.…”

“…We made similar-but more tentative hypotheses (given the lack of prior empirical research on European American cultural values)-that espousal of European American cultural values would have negative relationships with public stigma (Path c) and stigma by close others (Path d), and positive relationships with attitudes toward seeking professional help (Path j) and willingness to seek counseling (Path 1; Kim, 2007;Miller et al, 2011). We hypothesized that public stigma (Path e, Figure 1) and stigma by close others (Path f) would have positive relationships with self stigma (Cheng et al, 2013;Ludwikowski et al, 2009;Vogel et al, 2006Vogel et al, , 2007Vogel, Wade, et al, 2009). Based on the finding that self-stigma fully mediated the rela tionships between public stigma and attitudes toward seeking professional help, and stigma by close others and attitudes toward seeking professional help (see Ludwikowski et al, 2009;, we did not estimate the direct effects of public stigma and stigma by close others on attitudes toward seeking profes sional help.…”

Serving the Developmental and Learning Needs of the 21st Century Diverse College Student Population: A Review of Literature

“…In addition, the population of the U.S. in general has become much more diverse, with projections for that trend to continue (Franklin, 2014). These changes are reflected in an increasingly diverse college population as well (Cheng, Kwan, & Sevig, 2013). The racial, ethnic, age, socio-economic status, academic preparation, immigration status, gender and sexual orientation of college students has changed dramatically since many of these theories of college student development were developed.…”

Why not Seek Therapy? The Role of Stigma and Psychological Symptoms in College Students

“…Despite this series of plausible possibilities, evidences indicate that therapy-associated stigma can be the most important factor not to seek therapy (Vogel, Heimerdinger-Edwards, Hammer, & Hubbard, 2011;Vogel, Shechtman, & Wade, 2010;Vogel, Wade, & Ascheman, 2009). In addition, evidences indicate that attitudes, beliefs, expectations, among other variables, can be associated with the process of seeking therapeutic help (Cheng, Kwan, & Sevig, 2013;Rojas-Vilches, Negy, & Reig-Ferrer, 2011). Stigma, characterized by a set of negative perceptions, has been indicated as one of the most relevant inhibitors of the search for therapeutic help (Corrigan, 2004).…”