University students’ perspectives on mental illness stigma

Abstract

Mental health issues are increasingly prevalent among North American post-secondary students and often impede academic progress. However, students appear reluctant to seek help and access mental health services due to stigma associated with mental health issues. Our study explored university students’ perspectives on and experiences of mental illness stigma on campus with the ultimate aim of working towards building more inclusive communities. Drawing on a participatory action research approach, we recruited 24 Canadian university students and conducted 13 semi-structured interviews, three focus groups, and three Photovoice sessions. Thematic analysis of the transcribed narratives and discussions derived from the data-collection process generated three themes. First, students identified academic pressure, the concealed nature of mental illness, and mistreatment of people with mental illness as sources of stigma. Second, stigma threatened three aspects of student life: being, doing, and belonging. Third, enhancing awareness of students’ mental health issues and improving mental health service delivery were indicated as critical to addressing stigma. The university's ability-focused culture appeared to contribute to reinforcing stigma and to students being threatened with losing or damaging their academic competence status. Universities should initiate dialogue with students and faculty to communicate the relationship between students’ mental health and academic success.