Keywords
perceived stigma; mental health; help-seeking behavior; racial and ethnic minority students; health professions education; systematic review
Abstract
Racial and ethnic minority (REM) students in health professions programs in the U.S. have considerable mental health issues. Still, they are less likely to access mental health services when compared to their White peers. The stigma they face, such as —public stigma, self-stigma, or intersectional stigma, may serve as a barrier to help-seeking. Although there is increasing recognition of the barriers to mental health care experienced by these students, there is no systematic understanding of how perceived stigma associated with mental health issues affects mental health help-seeking by REM students enrolled in health professions education. This systematic literature review aims to examine the relationship between perceived stigma and mental health help-seeking behavior by REM students in health professions education in order to address this knowledge gap.
Studies that were peer-reviewed and published in English between 2015 and 2025 were identified through PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases. The initial search resulted in 1,415 unduplicated articles. Following title and abstract screening, 132 full texts were assessed, and 20 studied met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis was used to identify three main themes from the 20 studies. Overall, REM students used fewer services than their White peers, Help-seeking behaviors were shaped differently through cultural values and systemic inequities across racial/ethnic groups, and cultural moderators such as acculturation and mental health literacy had a strong influence on outcomes.
The findings highlight the importance of culturally specific interventions, broader access to providers with different cultural backgrounds, and stigma-reduction strategies. Change must be adopted as an integrated approach into health professions education in order to reduce stigma and increase the opportunity for REM students to achieve equitable mental health support.
Thesis Completion Year
2025
Thesis Completion Semester
Fall
Thesis Chair
Wang, Xiaochuan
College
College of Health Professions and Sciences
Department
College of Health Professions and Sciences
Thesis Discipline
Public Health
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Agurto, Camila A., "Examining the Association Between Perceived Stigma and Mental Health Help-Seeking Behavior Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Students in Health Professions Education" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 405.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/405
Included in
Community Health Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Psychiatric and Mental Health Commons, Public Health Commons, Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons
Rights Statement
