STUDENTS' PERCEIVED PUBLIC STIGMA AND MENTAL HEALTH HELP-SEEKING ATTITUDES IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

Stigma and negative attitudes to help seeking are sources of concern in counseling and psychotherapy as they act as barriers to interventions. The field survey utilized for this study assessed the participants' performance on these two psychological variables. In total, 160 randomly selected junior and senior high school students in Brunei Darussalam responded to the survey. The relationship between perceived public stigma and attitudes toward seeking help was insignificant. Although the two genders' mean scores did not differ significantly on these two variables, males with the lowest score needed counseling on attitudes toward seeking help. The opposite was true for females on perceived public stigma where they scored highest, despite the difference being insignificant. The participants' performance on the two variables did not also differ significantly by age and the school they attended. However, the statistical trends showed the 19-year olds students in one participating school do have higher needs for counseling interventions on both variables. Further research with a qualitative component was recommended. (C) 2019 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.UK