Self‐stigma and the intention to seek psychological help online compared to face‐to‐face

Abstract

Our results suggest that online interventions may facilitate help-seeking among individuals deterred by stigma.

The Influence of Stigma on College Students' Attitudes Toward Online Video Counseling and Face‐to‐Face Counseling

“…Levels of perceived stigma reported in those who prefer to seek mental health help via the internet were significantly higher than the stigma reported by those who prefer to seek help in a face‐to‐face setting. Wallin et al () drew similar conclusions after finding that participants were more likely to choose online treatment if the problem they were seeking help for was stigmatized. Furthermore, Joyce () identified self‐stigma to be negatively related to attitudes toward OC but indicated that this form of stigma was related to OC significantly less than it was related to attitudes toward F2F.…”

“…As most college students have access to the internet, and because many feel comfortable using technology (Smith, Rainie, & Zickuhr, ), online therapeutic interventions may be a viable alternative to face‐to‐face counseling (F2F) for this population. Online counseling (OC), defined as “any delivery of mental and behavioral health services, including but not limited to therapy, consultation and psychoeducation, by a licensed practitioner to a client in a non‐face‐to‐face setting through distance communication technology such as the telephone, asynchronous e‐mail, synchronous chat and video conferencing” (Mallen & Vogel, , p. 764), has been suggested as a way to provide services to those who are stigmatized because of the concerns they are experiencing (Wallin, Maathz, Parling, & Hursti, ). This method of service provides the client with accessibility, anonymity, and flexibility in terms of location (Wallin, Mattsson, & Olsson, ).…”

Construction of a User-Led Resource for People Transitioning to Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: Results of an International Nominal Group Study

“…In addition, mental symptoms are often seen as less worrying than physical symptoms by pwSPMS; they are perceived as an individual's matter, not a health problem, which leads pwSPMS to seek to conceal them (19). Finally, pwSPMS may hesitate to start a psychological support program or psychotherapy because of the fear to be stigmatized as being mentally ill (20). All these aspects demonstrated the urgency to develop a tailored intervention to answer the psychological needs of pwSPMS.…”

Perceived acceptability of wearable devices for the treatment of mental health problems

“…March et al (2018) reported similar findings in regard to the absence of demographic differences, but also demonstrated that technology confidence led to a greater preference for online services relative to face‐to‐face services. Another recent study of university students and primary care patients found that higher help‐seeking self‐stigma, together with treatment expectancy, predicted a stronger preference for Internet‐based approaches compared with face‐to‐face treatment (Wallin, Maathz, Parling, & Hursti, 2018). Taken together, these findings suggest that technological readiness, perceived effectiveness of devices, and barriers to face‐to‐face therapy (such as stigma) could be important predictors of interest in wearable devices relative to traditional approaches.…”