An Examination of Generation, Gender, and Race Centrality as Predictors of Stigma and Help‐Seeking Attitudes in African American Adults

Despite being more likely to encounter and endure higher levels of psychological distress, African American adults are less likely to seek mental health services. Yet previous research lacks an examination of within‐group differences among African Americans’ help‐seeking attitudes, particularly by generation, gender, or the centrality of race. In this study, we used a nonexperimental correlational research design to examine factors that influence attitudes toward mental health help‐seeking in African American adults ( N = 190). We examined the potential moderating effects of generation, gender, and race centrality on such attitudes. Using an ordinary least squares regression multiple linear regression analysis, we found that perceived stigmatization of others and self‐stigma significantly predicted 22% of the variance in help‐seeking attitudes, and the relationship between stigma and mental health help‐seeking attitudes was moderated by gender on perceived stigma by others in one's social network and perceived stigma by the general public.