Fear of Stigmatization and Help-Seeking among University Students

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between selfstigma among university students — ostensibly driven by a fear of public stigma — and their willingness to seek psychological help when experiencing moderate to high levels of distress. Standardized scales were used, including the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help (SSOSH) scale, the Inventory of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and a self-designed questionnaire. The results of a cluster analysis indicate the existence of two opposing attitudes toward seeking psychological help: a proactive/exploratory attitude and avoidant/barrier attitude. Correlation analysis revealed the leading role of internal beliefs regarding external constraints and significant moderators. Determinants of self-stigma included gender, academic specialization, and level of distress, while year of study, format of study, and preferred communication platform did not exert a significant influence. To raise awareness of psychological support services, an eight-week comprehensive psycho-preventive program ‘Prime’ was launched. It included cognitive reframing, contact with role models, an online component, and self-regulation practices. The program proved effective in a quasi-experiment. The program’s content was shown to address key links in the barrier circuit of ‘self-stigma → anxious expectations → avoidance of help-seeking’, reducing fear of self-disclosure, normalizing help-seeking behavior, and increasing its likelihood. Content analysis revealed a significant shift in discourse: the proportion of stigmatizing labels (e.g., ‘shame’, ‘weakness’) decreased from 27% to 11%, while positive statements (e.g., ‘helped’, ‘saved’) increased to 33%. The quantitative effects of the intervention were significant: after the eight-week cycle, the average SSOSH score in the experimental group decreased by 19% (Δ ≈ -4.4 points, exceeding the clinically minimally significant threshold of 3 points), the IASMHS score increased by 11% (the average value of the ‘self-help priority’ subscale shifted from 13.5 to 16.2, approaching the level of psychological openness), and the stress level on the DASS-21 decreased by 26%. The effect was especially pronounced among students with initially high distress. This confirms the hypothesis that emotional distress plays a significant role in attitudes toward psychological help.