Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 18, 2025

Social Isolation Model: A Noninvasive Rodent Model of Stress and Anxiety
Published on: November 11, 2022
A preliminary investigation of the relationship between internalized stigma, experiential avoidance, and suicidal
Maya Nauphal1, Nicole D Cardona1, Vinushini Arunagiri2
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
Objective: Examine the relationship between internalized stigma, experiential avoidance (EA), and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) in a sample of college students, and explore whether EA accounts for part of the relationship between internalized stigma, EA, and STBs.Participants: College students (N=78) completed online questionnaires about demographic information, internalized stigma, EA, and STBs.Results: A simple mediation model evaluated the indirect effect of internalized stigma on STBs through EA, controlling for the presence of a mental health disorder diagnosis. Results: Internalized stigma, STBs, and EA were all positively correlated. EA partially mediated the relationship between internalized stigma and STBs.Conclusion: Despite decades of research and prevention efforts, STBs remain a pervasive problem. There is an urgent need to identify modifiable predictors of STBs. Internalized stigma is a risk factor for STBs, and recent research suggests EA might be a mechanism linking internalized stigma and STBs. Our findings suggest EA might represent a modifiable mechanism of change in the context of both anti-stigmatization and suicide prevention programs.
Related Concept Videos
Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
Stress and Mental Health
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Self-Discrepancy Theory

