Stigmatic Beliefs about Depression and Attitude toward Seeking Professional Help among Doctors: Mediating Role of Depression
Contributors
-
Rubab Rasheed
Senior Clinical Psychologist, Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department, Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
https://orcid.org/0009-0006-3077-0438
- Dr. Hina Ghafoor Professor of Psychology, Head of Psychology Department, Bahria University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Abstract
Doctors are often known for the stressful nature of their work, particularly when they have to frequently provide best care for their patient while working in high stress environments. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between stigma beliefs and attitudes to seeking professional help, controlling for depression. 200 samples were taken from the targeted population of nine hundred doctors in public sector hospitals of Rawalpindi. The results revealed a significant positive correlation between depression and self-stigma (.242). There was a low correlation between depression and perceived stigma (.078). Self-stigma was found to be significantly negatively correlated with attitude toward seeking help (-.454) and depression was slightly negatively correlated with attitude toward seeking help (-.232). The study focused on depression as a mediator between self-stigma, perceived stigma and attitudes towards the use of professional help. The results showed that self-stigma significantly affected depression and attitudes toward seeking help but not so much for predicting depression and attitudes toward treatment. Finally, the study concludes that the three factors, i.e., stigma, depression and attitudes towards seeking help, are interrelated among doctors in the tertiary care hospitals of Rawalpindi.
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Corresponding Author
Rubab Rasheed
Senior Clinical Psychologist, Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department, Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
Corresponding Author: [email protected]
