Attitudes toward seeking help for sexual dysfunctions among US and Swedish college students

Abstract

The present study examined help-seeking attitudes and stigma related to sexual problems, issues largely neglected by previous researchers. In addition, the impact of sociocultural variables on attitudes was explored. College students at public universities in the United States (n = 78) and Sweden (n = 81) completed three scales of stigma and help-seeking and rated the likelihood that they would seek help for sexual problems from each of five types of professionals. Despite differing cultural perspectives, participants from the two samples were more alike than different. In both countries, respondents expressed moderate-to-high willingness to seek help for sexual problems and low-to-moderate levels of stigma; openness to help-seeking was inversely related to stigma. Males reported higher self-stigma than females, and students who identified as Christian reported greater stigma than non-religious students. Participants reported that they would be most likely to seek help for sexual problems from gynecologists/urologists and family physicians, followed in order by sex therapists, psychologists, and counselors. Implications of these findings include consideration of self-stigma as a barrier to seeking treatment, differences in help-seeking attitudes for mental health vs. sexual concerns, and the need for greater understanding about accessing treatment for sexual dysfunctions.

Keywords:

• stigma
• self-stigma
• help-seeking
• openness to seeking treatment
• cross-cultural
• sex therapy

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Linnea Bergvall

Linnea Bergvall, BA, is an alumna of the psychology department at the University of North Carolina Asheville. She is currently applying to graduate programs and hopes to pursue a career in counseling with emphasis in sex therapy.

Melissa J. Himelein

Melissa Himelein, PhD, is a professor of psychology and the director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. Her teaching and research interests include clinical health psychology and the psychology of women.