A quantitative analysis of the relationship between social support and mental health stigma among US service members

Abstract: There remains a stigma surrounding US service members who seek treatment for mental health problems despite a general trend in the United States towards more positive perceptions of mental health. This stigma exists for various reasons explored in the current study and is likely due in large part to the difficulty faced by the military of balancing the mental health needs of US service members and the approximately two decades of sustained conflict in the Middle East. The current study examined the factors of social support and mental health stigma as they relate to each other among post-deployment service members. The study employed statistical analyses utilizing regression and correlation techniques to explore relationships between the variables in question in the context of three psychological theoretical models: mental health and well-being ecological model, military occupational mental health model, and the health stigma and discrimination framework. Although the study’s findings ultimately suggested a positive relationship between social support and mental health stigma among service members, which was the opposite of the hypothesized relationship, future replications are necessary to confirm or deny the accuracy of these findings.

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