{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,5]],"date-time":"2026-09-05T01:55:54Z","timestamp":1788573354001,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,20]],"date-time":"2025-08-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1755648000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosmentalhealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Ment Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>We explored the factors influencing attitudes of help-seeking behavior and counseling intentions. Four hundred and forty (440) Ghanaian students from two public universities were conveniently sampled for this study. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey using standardized questionnaires, including the Intention to Seek Counseling Inventory, Inventory of Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services, Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale, Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale, and the Stigma Scale for Receiving Social Support. The data obtained were analyzed using multiple regressions. Our results revealed that self-stigma was significantly associated with attitudes toward seeking help from a psychologist, while social stigma was significantly associated with attitudes toward seeking help from a mental health service provider. Self-stigma, but not social stigma, moderated the relationship between attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help and intentions to seek counseling. This suggests that when self-stigma is high, attitudes to seek professional psychological help become less impactful in driving intentions to seek counseling. Interventions should focus on reducing self-stigma and empowering adults to overcome their internalized negative attitudes toward mental disorders, ultimately encouraging them to seek mental health care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmen.0000378","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,20]],"date-time":"2025-08-20T17:34:04Z","timestamp":1755711244000},"page":"e0000378","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pmen.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Does stigma influence intentions to seek mental health care? A study among adults attending University in Ghana"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"2","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-9212-950X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Abigail Esinam","family":"Adade","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-3585-7999","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"DeGraft Nana","family":"Agyei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Evans K.S.","family":"Nyarko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adote","family":"Anum","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-7938-1592","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Rachel","family":"Yamson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vivian Afi","family":"Dzokoto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,20]]},"reference":[{"issue":"5","key":"pmen.0000378.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"393","DOI":"10.1111\/acps.13083","article-title":"Is the global prevalence rate of adult mental illness increasing? 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