Mental Health, Self-Stigma, and Help-Seeking Intentions Among Emerging Adults: An Attachment Perspective

Many college students experience common mental health concerns, such as anxiety and depression, but do not seek psychological help. The present study proposed an attachment theory-driven model interrelating adult attachment, mental health concerns, and self-stigma in predicting intentions to seek counseling with a college student sample (N = 1,682). Structural equation modeling revealed that attachment anxiety, but not attachment avoidance, directly and positively predicted intentions to seek counseling. However, mediation analyses indicated that attachment anxiety was also indirectly and negatively linked to help-seeking intentions through self-stigma. Specifically, higher levels of attachment anxiety, or the combination of attachment anxiety and mental health concerns, predicted greater levels of self-stigma, which in turn predicted weaker intentions to seek counseling. The findings point to the importance of considering the combined contributions of individual differences in attachment dimensions, levels of mental health concerns, self-stigma, and help-seeking intentions in understanding the help-seeking process.