Attitudes and intentions toward seeking psychological help among Canadian Muslims

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Date
2019
Authors
Zia, Belal
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Abstract

Background. Muslims living in the West seek mental health services at lower rates than the general population despite facing difficulties which may require treatment. A barrier to treatment seeking may be stigma. General research on help-seeking suggests that public stigma, internalized as self-stigma, leads to negative attitudes and less favourable intentions toward seeking psychological help. However, there appear to be cross-cultural differences in this internalized stigma model, suggesting that acculturation and enculturation may moderate the model. Objectives. The first objective is to investigate the applicability of the internalized stigma model (Vogel, Wade, & Hackler, 2007) in a sample of Canadian Muslims. The second objective is to explore how acculturation and enculturation moderate the internalized stigma model. Methods. 238 Canadian Muslim participants completed an online survey that included measures of public and self-stigma of help-seeking, attitudes toward help-seeking, intentions to seek help, and acculturation/ enculturation. Mediation analyses investigate whether public stigma predicts 1) attitudes through self-stigma and 2) intentions toward help-seeking through self-stigma and attitudes. Moderation analyses investigate whether acculturation or enculturation moderate the serial mediation. Results. The relationship between public stigma and attitudes toward help seeking was mediated through self-stigma. Public stigma was positively associated with self-stigma, self-stigma was negatively associated with attitudes toward help-seeking, and attitudes were positively related to intentions to seek services. Acculturation and enculturation did not moderate the internalized stigma model. Discussion. Results support the applicability of the internalized stigma model among Canadian Muslims. Previous assertions that acculturation or enculturation influence the internalized stigma model are not supported.

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Keywords
Muslims, Public stigma, Self-stigma, Help-seeking, Acculturation, Enculturation
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