Description

The Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSSHS) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess the level of self-stigma associated with seeking professional help for psychological or emotional problems. Self-stigma refers to the process through which individuals internalize social prejudices and negative attitudes toward help-seeking, which may in turn generate negative feelings or beliefs about themselves.

This construct is particularly important in mental health research because self-stigma may act as a barrier to seeking professional support. Individuals who perceive psychological help-seeking as a sign of weakness, inadequacy, or social devaluation may be more likely to delay or avoid accessing appropriate services.

Objective

The primary objective of the SSSHS is to assess the level of stigma individuals experience in relation to seeking psychological help. Measuring self-stigma is important because it may influence a person’s willingness to seek assistance and may also affect engagement with mental health interventions.

The scale can also provide useful information for the development of strategies and interventions designed to reduce self-stigma, promote more positive attitudes toward psychological support, and encourage timely professional help-seeking.

Scoring

The SSSHS consists of statements rated on a 5- or 7-point Likert-type scale, depending on the version or administration protocol used. The statements address experiences such as feelings of shame or weakness and perceived social devaluation associated with seeking help.

The total score is obtained by combining the scores of the individual items. Higher scores generally indicate greater levels of self-stigma toward seeking professional psychological help, provided that the scoring procedure of the specific version is followed.

Data Analysis and Use

Data obtained from the SSSHS can be analyzed to examine the scale’s internal consistency, typically using Cronbach’s alpha, as well as its underlying factor structure. Studies may also examine convergent and discriminant validity by comparing SSSHS scores with related psychological constructs.

Scores may be investigated in relation to variables such as attitudes toward psychotherapy, intentions to seek professional help, psychological distress, perceived public stigma, and previous use of mental health services.

In multivariable analyses, the SSSHS can also be used to investigate whether self-stigma is associated with or predicts help-seeking intentions and related behaviors.

Psychometric Evaluation

Psychometric evaluation of the SSSHS may include the assessment of internal consistency, structural validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity, as well as the stability of scores over time where repeated measurements are available.

Depending on the research design, additional psychometric methods may also be applied, including confirmatory factor analysis and complementary reliability indices, in order to examine the measurement properties of the scale across different populations.

Applications

The SSSHS may be used in clinical psychology, counseling, psychiatry, social psychology, and mental health services research. It is particularly relevant for examining psychological and social barriers that may discourage individuals from seeking professional support.

The instrument may also be useful for evaluating anti-stigma and mental health awareness programs by examining whether interventions are associated with reductions in self-stigma and more positive attitudes toward professional help-seeking.

References

Vogel, D. L., Wade, N. G., & Haake, S. (2006). Measuring the self-stigma associated with seeking help for mental health issues: A revised scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(3), 371–388.

Vogel, D. L., & Wester, S. R. (2003). To seek help or not to seek help: The role of self-stigma and other variables. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 59(3), 275–287.

Corrigan, P. W., & Watson, A. C. (2002). The paradox of self-stigma and mental illness. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9(1), 35–53.

Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. C. (2001). Conceptualizing stigma. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 363–385.

Rüsch, N., Angermeyer, M. C., & Corrigan, P. W. (2005). Mental health literacy and self-stigma. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 112(1), 51–58.