Abstract
Objective
The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between college student perceived and personal mental health stigmas. Participants: A sample of 352 undergraduate college students from two large Universities in the Eastern United States was utilized. Methodology: A self-report anonymous online survey was utilized. The survey contained demographics as well as questions to assess participant levels of perceived stigma, personal stigma, and social desirability.
Results
Results revealed that college student perceived stigma was significantly greater than personal stigma, and that perceived stigma and personal stigma were significantly and positively correlated. Conclusions: Overall findings suggest a misperception of campus mental health stigma levels. Based upon these student misperceptions of stigma, best practices for addressing stigma within the clinical setting are discussed. Overall implications for college counseling centers are presented, including campus outreach strategies.
Conflict of interest disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Montclair State University.
Funding
No funding was used to support this research and/or the preparation of the manuscript.