Stigma, help‐seeking, and counseling with African American male college students

Abstract

The help‐seeking processes of college students can be impacted by aspects of public stigma, self‐stigma, and mental health literacy. The unique influences of these factors, however, have yet to be explored with African American male college students (AAMCS). Using a sample of 116 AAMCS, the researchers examined changes of variances in AAMCS’ help‐seeking intentions explained by public stigma, self‐stigma, mental health literacy, and self‐construal. Our hierarchical regression analyses revealed public stigma and self‐stigma to account for 13.7% (ΔR2 = 0.137) of variance in predicting help‐seeking intentions of AAMCS. Mental health literacy and self‐construal were not found to be statistically significant in their respective models. The overall hierarchical model accounted for 25.9% of variance in help‐seeking intentions of AAMCS. Implications for counseling practice and future research in help‐seeking are discussed.

Policy effects of the expansion of telehealth under 1135 waivers on intentions to seek counseling services: Difference‐in‐difference (DiD) analysis

“…The COVID‐19 pandemic poses an uneven threat to marginalized communities, and racial/ethnic minorities have been at elevated risk for mental health problems (Thomeer et al., 2022). Despite the greater prevalence of mental health issues found in racial/ethnic minorities, they are less likely than their White counterparts to receive counseling services and express intentions to seek mental health care (Alang, 2019; Hunt et al., 2015; Shannon et al., 2022). The expectation of experiencing discrimination based on race and stigmatization associated with mental illness and mental health services creates barriers to timely care for racial/ethnic minorities (Alang, 2019; Shannon et al., 2022).…”

“…Despite the greater prevalence of mental health issues found in racial/ethnic minorities, they are less likely than their White counterparts to receive counseling services and express intentions to seek mental health care (Alang, 2019; Hunt et al., 2015; Shannon et al., 2022). The expectation of experiencing discrimination based on race and stigmatization associated with mental illness and mental health services creates barriers to timely care for racial/ethnic minorities (Alang, 2019; Shannon et al., 2022). Members from racial/ethnic minority communities experience racial microaggressions that penetrate healthcare settings, such as racist assumptions and stereotypes against the experiences of people of color (Alang, 2019; Shannon et al., 2022).…”

“…Prior to the outbreak of COVID‐19, racial disparities in intentions and access to counseling services were well documented (Shannon et al., 2022). The uneven psychosocial effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic on racial/ethnic minorities might be expected to exacerbate racial disparities in intentions to engage in counseling and also mental health outcomes because of poor social determinants of health attributed to prolonged sociopolitical and economic inequalities (Chowkwanyun & Reed, 2020; Shannon et al., 2022). Research has shown that the COVID‐19 pandemic may have placed racial/ethnic minorities at elevated risk for mental health problems (Thomeer et al., 2022; Zhai & Du, 2022a).…”

“…Studies conducted before the COVID‐19 pandemic indicated that racial/ethnic minorities (e.g., Asian, Black/African, Indigenous, and Latinx American) were less likely than White/European Americans to seek counseling services when experiencing mental health concerns (Ballesteros & Tran, 2020; Cheng et al., 2018). Research shows that stigmatization associated with mental illness and mental health services can hinder racial/ethnic minorities from seeking professional help (Alang, 2019; Shannon et al., 2022). Racial/ethnic minorities also experience racial microaggressions that penetrate mental health care settings, such as racist assumptions and stereotypes against the experiences of people of color (Alang, 2019).…”

“…Racial/ethnic minorities also experience racial microaggressions that penetrate mental health care settings, such as racist assumptions and stereotypes against the experiences of people of color (Alang, 2019). Additionally, racial/ethnic minorities have confronted various challenges that emerged before and during the pandemic, such as socioeconomic inequalities, systemic racism, and civil unrest, and these challenges were likely to worsen racial disparities in seeking counseling services (Shannon et al., 2022).…”