From Self-Affliction to Silence: Self-Stigmatization as a Psychological Pathway Shaping Help-Seeking in Emerging Adults

Emerging adulthood is a developmental period marked by instability and heightened psychological vulnerability. Although access to mental health services has increased, many emerging adults remain reluctant to seek professional psychological help. Drawing on cognitive behavioral theory and labeling theory, the present study examined the associations among self-affliction tendency, self-stigmatization, and attitudes toward professional psychological help, with particular attention to the role of self-stigmatization in these associations. A total of 709 individuals aged 18 to 29 in Taiwan completed an online questionnaire assessing self-affliction tendency, self-stigmatization, and help-seeking attitudes. Correlational, regression, and mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro. The results indicated that self-affliction tendency was positively associated with self-stigmatization and negatively associated with help-seeking attitudes, while self-stigmatization was strongly associated with less favorable help-seeking attitudes. Mediation analyses further showed that the associations between self-affliction tendency and help-seeking attitudes were largely accounted for by self-stigmatization across four dimensions, namely existential alienation, cognitive emotional exhaustion, neglect of self-care, and relational ambivalence. These findings highlight the importance of self-stigmatization in understanding help-seeking reluctance among emerging adults experiencing subclinical psychological distress and suggest the relevance of stigma-sensitive approaches in early counseling engagement.