Mindfulness mediates the relationship between mental health self-stigma and psychological distress: A cross-sectional st
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Mindfulness mediates the relationship between mental health self-stigma and psychological distress: A cross-sectional study Timothy J. Martin 1,2
&
Samuel D. Spencer 1 & Akihiko Masuda 1
Accepted: 4 September 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The proposed cross-sectional survey of a non-clinical college sample investigated (1) whether two forms of mental health selfstigma (i.e., mental illness self-stigma and psychological distress self-stigma) were positively associated with psychological distress and (2) whether mindfulness mediated the association between mental health self-stigma and psychological distress. University students participated in an online survey. The results of the study revealed that both mental illness self-stigma and psychological distress self-stigma were positively associated with psychological distress, and that mindfulness partially mediated these associations. Additional analyses revealed that mindfulness moderated the association between psychological distress selfstigma and psychological distress. Mindfulness is an important variable for understanding mental health self-stigma and its association with psychological distress. Future studies should investigate the role of mindfulness in this association further. Keywords Mindfulness . Self-stigma . Mental illness self-stigma . Psychological distress . College population
Psychological distress among college students has been a significant concern in recent years. Research indicates that college students experience a range of mental health concerns, such as adjustment, relationship problems, and learning deficits, as well as more debilitating psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, and severe psychological distress (e.g., American College Health Association 2010; Prince 2015). Furthermore, the prevalence rate for depression and anxiety has been estimated to be up to 30% in college student samples with trends suggesting that these prevalence estimates are likely to increase in the future (Beiter et al. 2015). Given the pervasive nature of psychological distress among college students, more research is needed to identify its potential correlates and why they are associated with psychological distress. One potential correlate of psychological distress among college students is mental health self-stigma (Boyd-Ritsher et al. 2003; Corrigan and Watson 2002; Luoma et al. 2013). According to a contemporary behavior analytic account of complex human behaviors called relational frame theory
(RFT; S. C. Hayes et al. 2001; Lillis and Levin 2014; Masuda et al. 2012), this form of stigma reflects one’s appraisal of psychological distress or a psychiatric label as well as the perceived implications of having such an experience. For example, an individual diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder may come to think, “Depression is a sign of weakness. I am depressed; therefore I am weak.” Then, this individual may identify with these beliefs/labels as the literal truth, rather than notice one’s con
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