Kim Soomin, Kim Dongil
College of Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
BMC Psychol. 2025 May 2;13(1):461. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-02793-y.
Previous studies have found that Asians and men are more susceptible to the stigma and stereotypes associated with mental illness. This social perception makes it difficult for Korean men to seek professional psychological help even when they desperately need it. The primary objectives of this study were to investigate barriers to mental health help-seeking among Korean men and to identify the role of sociocultural factors.
A total of 341 Korean men aged 19 to 59 years participated in an online survey, which included questionnaires on loss of face, self-stigma of seeking help, attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, and conformity to masculine norms. Structural Equation Modeling was used to explore the relationships among these variables.
The results revealed that loss of face indirectly affected attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help (ATSPPH) through its mediating effect on self-stigma. Loss of face did not directly influence ATSPPH. Furthermore, conformity to masculine norms negatively affected ATSPPH, and self-stigma mediated this relationship.
These findings highlight the importance of understanding the influence of sociocultural factors in encouraging Korean men to seek help. The ultimate goal is to foster a social environment that encourages open discussion about mental illness, masculinity, and Asian values.
先前的研究发现，亚洲人和男性更容易受到与精神疾病相关的污名和刻板印象的影响。这种社会认知使得韩国男性即使在极度需要专业心理帮助时也难以寻求帮助。本研究的主要目的是调查韩国男性寻求心理健康帮助的障碍，并确定社会文化因素的作用。
共有341名年龄在19至59岁之间的韩国男性参与了一项在线调查，其中包括关于丢脸、寻求帮助的自我污名、对寻求专业心理帮助的态度以及对男性规范的遵从性的问卷。采用结构方程模型来探讨这些变量之间的关系。
结果显示，丢脸通过其对自我污名的中介作用间接影响对寻求专业心理帮助的态度（ATSPPH）。丢脸并未直接影响ATSPPH。此外，对男性规范的遵从性对ATSPPH有负面影响，且自我污名在这种关系中起中介作用。
这些发现凸显了理解社会文化因素在鼓励韩国男性寻求帮助方面的影响的重要性。最终目标是营造一个鼓励公开讨论精神疾病、男子气概和亚洲价值观的社会环境。
