| dc.description.abstract | College and university students experience high levels of psychological distress and would likely
benefit from accessing mental health services. However, the stigma associated with seeking help
as well as the stigma associated with mental illness in general reduce one’s likelihood of seeking
services and lead to other negative consequences such as lower self-esteem and loss of
opportunities. This study was conducted in order to: (a) better understand the mental health
difficulties, discrimination, and help-seeking patterns among university students, (b) elucidate
the processes involved in stigma and help-seeking behaviour, and (c) investigate empathy and
self-compassion as potential protective factors. Participants were university students who
completed an online survey at two time points with an approximate 3-month interval in-between.
Students demonstrated high rates of mental health difficulties and experiences of discrimination.
Students sought help from informal sources more frequently than formal sources. Regarding the
stigma process, endorsed stigma of mental illness predicted self-stigma of seeking help, which
predicted attitudes toward help-seeking, which in turn, predicted intentions to seek counselling.
Intentions did not predict help-seeking behaviour. Trait empathy did not demonstrate a
moderating effect, but self-compassion demonstrated a potential buffering role in the relationship
between public stigma of seeking help and anticipated self-stigma of seeking help. Based on
these results, interventions seeking to promote mental health literacy and self-compassion may
be helpful in promoting effective mental health support and reducing self-stigma, respectively,
although future research is required. Limitations of the present research are outlined and other
directions for future research are proposed. | en_US |
