Public stigma and attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help of undergraduate Psychology students and students of other majors in Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe study aims to compare the differences in stigma and attitudes regarding seeking psychological professional help for mental health issues between undergraduate students who major in Psychology andother majors. Methods: There were 408 participants. All participants are undergraduate students in Hanoi, Vietnam. Results: The results indicated that students who major in Psychology had significantly lower stigma and more positive attitudes towards seeking professional mental health services compared to their counterparts. Majoring in Psychology might inform the students more about the effectiveness ofmental health services, which can lead to a decrease in stigma against seeking treatment. Conclusion: The study’s results highlight the importance of providing appropriate mental health education to undergraduate students to reduce stigma and improve help-seeking attitude.KEYWORDS: Public stigmaattitudes towards help-seekingacademic majorundergraduate studentsmental health utilization Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Data availability statementThe data and materials that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Ethics approvalThe current study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University (protocol number 2295/CN-XHNV).Author NoteWe have no known conflict of interest to disclose.Additional informationFundingThis research paper is solely funded by VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi under project number USSH-2023.18.Notes on contributorsNguyen Ba DatNguyen Ba Dat, PhD Faculty of Psychology at University of Social Sciences and Humanities at Vietnam National University, Hanoi.Tran Bao TranTran Bao Tran, B.S., Doctoral student at Health Psychology program at University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C., U.S.A.Nguyen Thi Mai AnhNguyen Thi Mai Anh, Student Master of clinical psychology. Faculty of Psychology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.