Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
J Clin Psychol. 2019 Dec;75(12):2259-2272. doi: 10.1002/jclp.22845. Epub 2019 Aug 6.
Stigma is commonly identified as a key reason that older adults are especially unlikely to seek mental health services, although few studies have tested this assumption. Our objectives were to: (a) examine age differences in public and self-stigma of seeking help, and attitudes toward seeking help, and (b) see whether age moderates an internalized stigma of seeking help model.
A total of 5,712 Canadians ranging in age from 18 to 101 completed self-report measures of public stigma of seeking help, self-stigma of seeking help, and help-seeking attitudes.
Older participants had the lowest levels of stigma and the most positive help-seeking attitudes. Age also moderated the mediation model, such that the indirect effect of public stigma on help-seeking attitudes through self-stigma was strongest for older participants.
Our findings have implications for the influence of stigma and attitudes as barriers to treatment across the adult lifespan, and for stigma reduction interventions.
污名通常被认为是老年人特别不愿意寻求心理健康服务的一个关键原因，尽管很少有研究检验这一假设。我们的目的是：(a) 检查公众对寻求帮助的污名和对寻求帮助的态度在年龄上的差异，以及 (b) 看看年龄是否会调节寻求帮助的内化污名模型。
共有 5712 名年龄在 18 至 101 岁之间的加拿大人完成了公众对寻求帮助的污名、寻求帮助的自我污名和寻求帮助态度的自我报告测量。
年龄较大的参与者的污名程度最低，对寻求帮助的态度最积极。年龄也调节了中介模型，即公众对寻求帮助的污名通过自我污名对寻求帮助的态度的间接影响在年龄较大的参与者中最强。
我们的发现对污名和态度作为整个成年期治疗障碍的影响具有重要意义，也对减少污名的干预措施具有重要意义。
