The Influence of Public Stigma, Self-Stigma, and Self-Esteem on Attitude Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help among Thai University Students: A Conditional Mediation Model
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Abstract
This study investigated the mediating role of self-stigma in the association between public stigma and attitude toward seeking professional psychological help (ATSPPH) among Thai university students. It also investigated whether the effect of public stigma on self-stigma is moderated by self-esteem. A total of 206 students from 4 universities in Bangkok participated in this study. Valid and reliable questionnaires were used to measure the variables, and the internal consistency reliability of these scales based on the current sample ranged from .80 to .89. A moderated mediation path model with self-stigma as the mediator and self-esteem as the moderator was analyzed applying Process Macro. The results supported a moderated mediation effect of public stigma on Thai university students’ attitude toward seeking professional psychological help. When self-esteem is low (-1 SD), self-stigma does not mediate the relationship between public stigma and ASPPH (B = .0082, SE = .0324, LLCI= -.0555, ULCI= .0733). At high self-esteem level (+1 SD), the indirect effect (B = -.1098, SE = .0458, LLCI= -.2097, ULCI= -.0294) is larger compared to the moderate self-esteem level (B = -.0508, SE = .0280, LLCI= -.1092, ULCI= -.0005). The results are discussed in connection with the cultural and social background of the Thai university students.
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