Gender differences in the processes linking public stigma and self-disclosure among college students with mental illness

This study investigated predictors of self-disclosure among college students with mental illness. Participants were 1,393 current college students with a mental illness at 5 universities. Moderated mediation tests were used to analyze the data. Findings of the analysis reveal that public stigma is associated with mental illness disclosure among college students in part because it is associated with an increased perceived stress burden, particularly among men. Implications for future research and program development are discussed, with an emphasis on how public stigma and gender ideologies inform students’ decisions to acknowledge and address a mental health problem.