Role of fresh start mindset framing in reducing stigma and promoting mental health help‐seeking behavior

Abstract

One challenge in promoting mental health help-seeking behaviors is the masculine norm ingrained in the U.S. Using experimental data, this article examines how fresh start mindset (FSM) framing can be effective in helping reduce the stigma associated with mental health help-seeking behaviors and increase the promotion of positive attitudes and word-of-mouth of the mental health messages among men (vs. women). This study uniquely reveals that FSM framing in mental health ad campaigns might help men switch from the mindset that mental health help-seeking behaviors equate to showing weakness to one of help-seeking behaviors as a fresh start. Further, this study demonstrates that males with high issue involvement levels and females with low issue involvement levels respond to FSM framing more favorably. Thus, issue involvement levels form the critical boundary conditions. The authors also reveal that attitudes toward the ads operate as an underlying mechanism in FSM framing effects on responses. | INTRODUCTIONMental health problems such as depression and stress are concerning issues of public health. While some people might be more vulnerable to mental health issues than others, everyone faces challenges at some point in their lives, and no one is immune (Kessler et al., 2007).It has been documented that 1 in 5 Americans experiences a mental illness in a given year (Reinert et al., 2021), and 1 in 25 Americans lives with a serious mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression) (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2016). 1 in 5 adolescents in the U.S. has had a seriously debilitating mental illness either currently or at some point during their life (Merikangas et al., 2010). Therefore, it is essential for us to understand mental health awareness campaigns that speak to the general public are in order to and help others who suffer from mental health issues and/or to prepare ourselves for mental health issues that might arise in the future (WHO, 2022).However, there is a barrier to overcome to increase the effectiveness of mental health awareness campaigns, and that is the stigma, the negative or discriminatory attitudes, associated with mental health help-seeking, such as the belief that those who seek mental health help-seeking are incompetent and weak (McCusker & Galupo, 2011).Prior research has revealed that men tend to hold more negative attitudes toward using mental health services than women (Yousaf, Popat, & Hunter, 2015) due to the socially constructed masculine norms for males, ingrained in the society of the U.S. (Barry, 2017;Mayer, 2018). In the literature on mental health, there has been a general agreement that masculine norms are closely linked with mental barriers (e.g., gender role conflicts, embarrassment) (Yousaf,

Psychiatrists’ occupational stigma conceptualization, measurement, and intervention: A literature review

“…In interventions for weight stigma[ 182 ], substance use disorder stigma[ 183 ], and homosexuality stigma[ 181 ], ACT has shown significant positive effects. Furthermore, Narrative Therapy[ 184 ], Written Expression-based Emotional Intervention[ 185 ], Sand Tray Therapy[ 186 ], Compassion-Based Group Therapy[ 187 ], Intergenerational Choir[ 188 ], and Fresh Start Mindset Framing[ 189 ] can be used as stigma interventions.…”