title: Help-Seeking Stigma and Mental Health Treatment Seeking Among Young Adult Veterans.
abstract: Veterans underutilize mental health services. We investigated the association between treatment seeking stigma and utilization of mental health services in a sample of 812 young adult veterans. Higher perceived public stigma of treatment seeking was significantly related to lower treatment utilization. Although many veterans were concerned about negative perceptions if they were to seek treatment, a much smaller number of them endorsed that they would judge a fellow veteran negatively in similar situation. Targeting perceived public stigma of treatment seeking, through perceived norms interventions, might help in narrowing the gap between the need and receipt of help among veterans.
authors.affiliation: Associate Behavioral/Social Scientist, RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90407., mkulesza@rand.org , phone: 310-393-0411.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kulesza
authors.affiliation: Behavioral/Social Scientist, RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90407., ericp@rand.org , phone: 310-393-0411.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3424 S. State Street, Chicago, IL 60616, Corrigan@iit.edu , phone: 312-567-6751.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corrigan
authors.affiliation: Senior Behavioral Scientist, RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90407., grantm@rand.org , phone: 310-393-0411.
authors.forename: Grant
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marshall
keywords: barriers to treatment; mental health problems; mental health treatment seeking; mental health treatment utilization; military culture; normative misperceptions; perceived public stigma; public stigma; veterans