Department of Psychology.
J Consult Clin Psychol. 2022 Jul;90(7):568-581. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000746.
Muslims living in the United States (MLUS) report high mental health stigma. They also underutilize professional psychological help, despite experiencing rising Islamophobia and comparatively poorer mental health. In line with double stigma, we examined whether MLUS who perceived greater Islamophobia also experienced greater self-stigma of seeking help, and whether this was related to negative help-seeking attitudes. We also assessed therapist demographic and treatment modality preferences and explored how they related to risk factors for low help-seeking.
Utilizing a representative sample of 350 MLUS (50% women, 33% immigrants) acquired via a Qualtrics panel aggregate, we assessed a path model of help-seeking attitudes to determine the direct and indirect effects of perceived Islamophobia via self-stigma and psychological distress. Therapist and treatment preferences were examined via multiple regression models and analysis of variance (ANOVAs). Open-ended responses were coded through content analysis.
Perceived Islamophobia was associated with greater psychological distress and also indirectly related to negative help-seeking attitudes via greater self-stigma. Therapists of a similar background, therapy in a mosque-setting, group therapy, and imam collaboration were more appealing to MLUS who were at risk for low help-seeking.
Among MLUS, perceived Islamophobia may present a dual risk-simultaneously increasing psychological distress and indirectly leading to negative attitudes toward help-seeking via higher self-stigma. Conversely, for MLUS at risk for low help-seeking, accessible community-based treatments and treatment with a Muslim or race/ethnicity-matched therapist may facilitate help-seeking behaviors. Future work may determine whether addressing double stigma within Muslim communities (e.g., Islamophobia and self-stigma) may improve psychological help-seeking. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
生活在美国的穆斯林（MLUS）报告称，他们存在较高的心理健康污名化问题。尽管他们经历了不断上升的伊斯兰恐惧症和相对较差的心理健康水平，但他们也很少利用专业的心理帮助。根据双重污名理论，我们考察了 MLUS 中那些感知到更大的伊斯兰恐惧症是否也经历了更大的寻求帮助的自我污名化，以及这种情况是否与消极的寻求帮助态度有关。我们还评估了治疗师的人口统计学和治疗方式偏好，并探讨了它们与寻求帮助率低的风险因素的关系。
我们利用通过 Qualtrics 面板汇总获得的 350 名 MLUS（50%为女性，33%为移民）的代表性样本，评估了寻求帮助态度的路径模型，以确定感知的伊斯兰恐惧症通过自我污名化和心理困扰的直接和间接影响。通过多元回归模型和方差分析（ANOVA）来检验治疗师和治疗方式的偏好。通过内容分析对开放式回答进行编码。
感知到的伊斯兰恐惧症与更大的心理困扰相关，并且通过更大的自我污名化与消极的寻求帮助态度间接相关。具有相似背景、在清真寺环境中进行的治疗、团体治疗和伊玛目合作的治疗师对寻求帮助率低的 MLUS 更有吸引力。
在 MLUS 中，感知到的伊斯兰恐惧症可能带来双重风险——同时增加心理困扰，并通过更高的自我污名化间接导致对寻求帮助的消极态度。相反，对于寻求帮助率低的 MLUS，可获得的基于社区的治疗和与穆斯林或种族/民族相匹配的治疗师的治疗可能会促进寻求帮助的行为。未来的工作可能需要确定在穆斯林社区内解决双重污名问题（例如，伊斯兰恐惧症和自我污名化）是否可以改善寻求心理帮助的行为。
