Self-Stigma, Social Stigma, and Attitudes Toward Seeking Psychological Help Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Stigma is a major barrier to psychological help-seeking among university students. This cross-sectional study examined how self-stigma and social (public) stigma are associated with attitudes toward seeking psychological help, and which sociodemographic characteristics relate to these variables, among students at a large public university in Gaziantep, Türkiye. A total of 457 undergraduates (286 women, 62.6%; mean age 20.6 years) completed the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale–Short Form (ATSPPH-SF), the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH), and the Social Stigma for Receiving Psychological Help Scale (SSRPH), together with a demographic form. Data were analyzed with t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlations, and two-step hierarchical multiple linear regression. Self-stigma (r = −0.23) and social stigma (r = −0.15) were both negatively associated with help-seeking attitudes, and the two stigma constructs were positively correlated (r = 0.38). In hierarchical regression, demographic variables explained 9.7% of the variance in attitudes; adding the stigma variables produced a significant increment (ΔR2 = 0.039, p < 0.001; full model R2 = 0.136). Only self-stigma (β = −0.17) and female gender (β = 0.17) remained independent predictors. Women and students with a family history of psychiatric disorder or a previous diagnosis reported more positive attitudes; men reported higher social stigma; and older age was associated with lower social stigma. Faculty and income were not significantly associated with attitudes. Self-stigma appears to be the more proximal stigma-related correlate of help-seeking attitudes, consistent with the self-stigma model of help-seeking. Contact-based and cognitive stigma-reduction efforts targeting self-stigma, together with male-focused outreach, may be useful in university settings.