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Updated: Mar 3, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
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Attachment and Mental Help-Seeking in the Perinatal Period: The Role of Stigma

Ana Fonseca1, Mariana Moura-Ramos2, Maria Cristina Canavarro2

  • 1Research Group "Relações, Desenvolvimento, & Saúde", CINEICC - Cognitive and Behavioral Center for Research and Intervention, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Rua do Colégio Novo, 3001-802, Coimbra, Portugal. ana.fonseca77@gmail.com.

Community Mental Health Journal
|April 29, 2017
PubMed

This study aimed at (1) examining how women's attachment representations influence their intentions to seek formal help for their emotional problems, either directly or by affecting attitudes towards professional help-seeking (stigma and psychological openness), and (2) examining whether these effects are moderated by the presence of clinically significant psychopathological symptoms. A cross-sectional online survey including 226 women during the perinatal period was conducted. Results showed that, when clinically significant psychopathological symptoms were present, women's more insecure attachment representations were associated with lower intentions to seek professional help, and this influence occurred throughout a decrease in women's indifference to stigma associated with mental healthcare. These results support both the intra and interpersonal nature of the help-seeking process, and highlight the importance of implementing stigma reduction strategies (e.g., awareness campaigns, health professional's non-judgmental questioning of emotional difficulties), particularly in women with clinically significant psychopathological symptoms.

Keywords:
Attachment representationsFormal help-seeking intentionsPerinatal periodPsychological opennessStigma

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