Depression and anxiety are common among medical students, yet many do not seek professional help due to stigma, perceived barriers, and culturally influenced beliefs about mental illness. These barriers may differ across cultural backgrounds. This study examines cross-cultural differences in mental health help-seeking among medical students, with particular attention to stigma and barriers to care, comparing international and U.S.-born students.
This cross-sectional, anonymous Qualtrics survey recruited medical students at Rocky Vista University across the Utah, Colorado, and Montana campuses. Of 47 eligible responses, 18 identified as international students and 29 as U.S.-born. After electronic consent, participants completed a vignette-based survey assessing help-seeking intentions (GHSQ), self-stigma of seeking help (SSOSH), perceived barriers to care (BACE-3), depression and anxiety symptom severity (PHQ-9, GAD-7), individualism-collectivism, and demographics. Participants received a $5 Amazon gift card through a separate end-of-survey link, preserving response anonymity.
Data are currently being analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression to examine whether self-stigma predicts help-seeking intentions after adjustment for demographic factors and symptom severity. Group comparisons will assess differences in stigma, barriers, and help-seeking patterns between international and U.S.-born students. Limitations include the small sample size and single-institution design, which may limit generalizability. Nevertheless, findings may help identify culturally influenced barriers to mental health care and inform targeted interventions, including tailored psychoeducation, peer or faculty mentorship, and institutional support strategies for medical students across cultural backgrounds.
This cross-sectional, anonymous Qualtrics survey recruited medical students at Rocky Vista University across the Utah, Colorado, and Montana campuses. Of 47 eligible responses, 18 identified as international students and 29 as U.S.-born. After electronic consent, participants completed a vignette-based survey assessing help-seeking intentions (GHSQ), self-stigma of seeking help (SSOSH), perceived barriers to care (BACE-3), depression and anxiety symptom severity (PHQ-9, GAD-7), individualism-collectivism, and demographics. Participants received a $5 Amazon gift card through a separate end-of-survey link, preserving response anonymity.
Data are currently being analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression to examine whether self-stigma predicts help-seeking intentions after adjustment for demographic factors and symptom severity. Group comparisons will assess differences in stigma, barriers, and help-seeking patterns between international and U.S.-born students. Limitations include the small sample size and single-institution design, which may limit generalizability. Nevertheless, findings may help identify culturally influenced barriers to mental health care and inform targeted interventions, including tailored psychoeducation, peer or faculty mentorship, and institutional support strategies for medical students across cultural backgrounds.