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Perceived stigma and help-seeking behavior: longitudinal evidence from the healthy minds study
Ezra Golberstein1, Daniel Eisenberg, Sarah E Gollust
1Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, 180 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115, USA. golberstein@hcp.med.harvard.edu
Psychiatric Services (Washington, D.C.)
|September 3, 2009
Summary
Perceived public stigma surrounding mental illness did not significantly impact college students' decisions to seek mental health care or use services over a two-year period.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Public stigma surrounding mental illness is a policy concern.
- Limited longitudinal data exists on the link between perceived stigma and mental health service utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the longitudinal association between perceived public stigmatization of mental illness and subsequent mental health care seeking behaviors.
- To determine if perceived stigma acts as a barrier to mental health services among university students.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study utilizing a Web-based survey administered to a random sample of 732 undergraduate and graduate students.
- Data collected at baseline and a two-year follow-up.
- Logistic regression models analyzed the relationship between baseline perceived public stigma and follow-up help-seeking measures (perceived need for help, service use).
Main Results:
- No statistically significant association was found between perceived public stigma and help-seeking behaviors over the two-year study period.
- The findings suggest perceived stigma did not deter mental health care utilization in this student population.
Conclusions:
- Perceived public stigma of mental illness does not appear to be a significant barrier to mental health care seeking among college students.
- Further research may explore other potential barriers or facilitators of mental health service use in similar populations.
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