Effects of Stigma-Reducing Conditions on Intention to Seek Psychological Help Among Korean College Students With Anxious-Ambivalent Attachment

Abstract

This study aimed to examine whether stigma-reducing conditions (i.e., random assignment of participants to hypothetical scenarios with varying levels of stigma) effectively increase intention to seek help for Korean college students with anxious-ambivalent attachment style, depending on previous counseling experience. Three hundred thirty Korean college students participated and were randomly assigned to either a low or a high stigma-reducing manipulative condition group. Each group was provided with three possible strategies to reduce stigma: the location of a counseling center, contact with a mental health patient, and the media portrayal of mental illness. In the high-stigma group, the strategies were described in a way that was highly stigmatizing. In the other group, the 3 strategies were created in a way that was not as stigmatizing. In order to examine the effect of stigma-reducing scenarios through the conditions, participants were also instructed to remember a previous or current stressful situation before responding to the questionnaire. The results of multivariate analysis of variance showed a 3-way interaction effect (i.e., level of stigma based on stigma manipulative condition, level of attachment anxiety, and previous counseling experience) on the intentions score when the "contact" and the "media" strategies were applied. The results indicated that individuals who have a higher level of attachment anxiety and a previous experience of counseling were more sensitive to the stigma-reducing manipulative condition. These results highlight the importance of the "contact" and "media" strategies in reducing stigma of seeking counseling for mental health services.