Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Richard Cicchetti

Abstract

Licensed professional counselors strive to eliminate systemic barriers to mental health treatment. Perceived anxiety disorder stigma may be a barrier to mental health treatment for those who are affected by this type of stigma. This quantitative correlational study examined whether factors such as age, gender, and level of education predict perceived anxiety disorder stigma in a population of adults in the U.S. who had been diagnosed with anxiety disorders as measured by the Generalized Anxiety Stigma Scale (GASS). Goffman's theory of social stigma served as the theoretical framework for this study. An existing data set of 82 adults diagnosed with anxiety disorders was obtained from a midwestern U.S. anxiety treatment clinic. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis to predict factors that contribute to the dependent variable of perceived anxiety disorder stigma. The independent factors included age, gender, and level of education. The findings of this study suggested that age, gender, and level of education are significant predictors of perceived anxiety disorder stigma. Among all predictor variables, gender predicted the greatest amount of variance for the dependent variable of perceived anxiety disorder stigma. This study may help the counseling profession limit the impact of perceived anxiety disorders stigma as a barrier to mental health treatment for persons with anxiety disorders who are vulnerable to this type of stigma.

Download

Share

 
COinS