Stigma of Seeking Psychological Services: Examining College Students Across Ten Countries/Regions

Abstract

Stigma is an important barrier to seeking psychological services worldwide. Two types of stigma exist: public stigma and self-stigma. Scholars have argued that public stigma leads to self-stigma, and then self-stigma is the primary

Public stigma and attitudes toward psychological help-seeking in the United Arab Emirates: The mediational role of self-stigma

“…In their initial study, Vogel et al . reported internal consistency for the entire scale to be .91 and in an international study, internal consistency was reported to range from .72 to .89 across several countries . Internal consistency with the current sample was .81.…”

“…This mediational relationship appears consistent for a variety of counseling modalities including individual counseling, group counseling, and career counseling . Additionally, there is some evidence of the existence of this mediational model in regions outside of the United States, however this evidence is minimal and given the presence of some contradictory evidence, we cannot reliably conclude that the model also holds for individuals from varying cultures and contexts. For example, Soheilian and Inman, in a sample of Middle Eastern Americans, tested this mediational model and, despite finding that self‐stigma was negatively associated with seeking counseling, the mediational model was not significant.…”

A comparative description of perceived stress and coping strategies among psychology and nonpsychology students in the United Arab Emirates

“…However, the vast majority sought support from a friend or a family member. This is an unsurprising finding given that we know that mental health‐related stigma is prevalent in this region . It appears though that rather than avoiding help altogether, which the literature has suggested is common, individuals from this region do seek support, but prefer to do so from informal rather than professional sources.…”

“…Campus‐based counseling centres should more overtly adopt the mandate of providing evidence‐based psychological services to students whom we know suffer from a range of common mental health problems. Additionally, strategies should be explored to address levels of public and internalized stigma toward mental health services on campuses, as it has now clearly been established that these detrimentally impact attitudes toward counseling in Arab contexts …”

“…Students display a clear preference for this coping strategy and perceive this mode of coping to be especially beneficial in managing stress. This is interesting when considering the evidence that many students appear hesitant to seek help during times of distress, a tendency that pervades even among psychology students . Moreover, it is hypothesized that this tendency is especially noticeable in Islamic contexts among Arab and Muslim populations where stigma results from the effort to avoid labels of weakness and the fear of disclosure directed at maintaining family honor and reputation .…”