Help-Seeking Stigma Among Men in the Military: The Interaction of Restrictive Emotionality and Distress

Stigma is one of the most commonly cited barriers toward seeking mental health services for men in the military. Although factors like socialized masculine norms (i.e., restrictive emotionality) and levels of distress are associated with stigma in civilian samples, less is known about these factors for men in the military. This study examines how distress and restrictive emotionality relate to help-seeking stigma in a sample of 271 men in the military. Results indicate that distress, restrictive emotionality, and the interaction between the two are uniquely associated with help-seeking stigma. Specifically, for men reporting high distress, restrictive emotionality is not associated with stigma. However, for men reporting low-to-moderate distress, greater restrictive emotionality significantly predicts greater stigma. These results have important implications for the development of future interventions designed to decrease stigma in the military.