Paper Title
STIGMA TOWARD RECEIVING MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT AMONG U.S. UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE STUDENTS

Abstract
The prevalence of mental illness among college students is concerning, and many do not seek psychological intervention due to the stigma associated with mental illness and psychotherapy. This study aimed to investigate personal stigma toward receiving mental health treatment among undergraduate college students in the U.S. and to explore the role of psychological inflexibility, resilience, and stress mindset as predictors of this stigma. The study utilized data from the 2022-2023 wave of the Healthy Minds Study examining mental health, health behaviors, and related issues, and our sample included 1,239 primarily female students with a mean age of 20.43 years (SD = 4.40). Measures included a single-item question to measure personal stigma toward receiving mental health treatment, the Brief Resilience Scale, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, and a brief Stress Mindset scale. A logistic regression analysis was conducted with two blocks to predict personal stigma toward mental health treatment. The first model included age, sex, and race/ethnicity. In block two, psychological inflexibility, resilience, and stress mindset were entered. The first model, including age, sex, and race/ethnicity, was not found to be significant. The second model (χ2 = 41.43, df = 6, N = 1239, p< .001) was significant, and psychological inflexibility emerged as the only significant factor. Higher levels of inflexibility were predictive of holding a personal stigma (β = .033, p<0.001). Psychological flexibility can be taught and developed, making it a promising area for future mental health stigma intervention and research. Keywords - Stigma, Psychological Inflexibility, Resilience, Stress Mindset, Undergraduate Students