Self-disclosure of mental illness in the college classroom: the role of stigma and avoidance

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of participants.

Characteristics	N	%	M	SD
Gender
Female	134	89.3
Male	11	7.3
Nonbinary/Fluid	5	3.3
Age Race (N = 149)			19.91	3.42
Caucasian	106	70.7
Latinx	11	7.3
African American	10	6.7
Biracial/Multiracial	7	4.7
Asian	5	3.3
Other	10	6.7
Year in College Fall 2021
Freshman	54	36.0
Sophomore	29	19.3
Junior	40	26.7
Senior	27	18.0

Table 2. Mental health characteristics of participants (N = 150).

Characteristics	N	%
Self-Reported Mental Health
Very good	8	5.3
Good	38	25.3
Fair	74	49.3
Poor	30	20.0
Current Mental Health
Yes	141	94.0
No	2	1.3
Irregular mental health	6	4.0
Not currently	1	0.3
Medication
Yes	55	36.7
No	84	56.0
Take medication irregularly	4	2.7
Not currently	7	4.7
Counseling
Yes	57	38.0
No	46	30.7
Counseling irregularly	11	7.3
Not currently	36	24.0
Self-Report Mental Health*
Anxiety	124	82.7
Depression	86	57.3
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)	17	11.3
Post-traumatic stress disorder or “Trauma”	15	10.0
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)	7	4.7
Eating Disorder	6	4.0
“Not sure,” missing, or other	13	8.7

*Students could report more than one mental health issue.

Figure 1. Disclosure to classmates predicted by stigma at different levels of Avoidance.

* p < .05

Table 3. Descriptive statistics and correlations for study variables.

Variables	M	SD	(1)	(2)	(3)
1. Stigma	3.25	0.87	–
2. Avoidance	2.62	0.66	.32**	–
3. Disclosure	1.65	0.89	−.16	−.32**	–

**p < .01.