We Need to Talk: The Relationship between Motivation, Self-Stigma, and Self-Disclosure during Therapy

Mental health issues impact a significant portion of the population worldwide, and result in the acquisition of therapy. Despite its efficaciousness, individuals experience several barriers in entering therapy. External factors such as financial constraints or availability can impact internal factors such as one’s motivation or self-stigma. Previous literature has established that motivation influences treatment entry and therapeutic outcomes, and that self-stigma impacts such motivation. It is also established that self-stigma may impact self-disclosure during therapy; however, the manner in which motivation, self-stigma, and self-disclosure interact cohesively is unknown. Therefore, the present study investigated the following research question: How does self-stigma in seeking help and motivation to join therapy impact an individual’s self-disclosure during therapy? It was hypothesised that high levels of self-stigma would lead to low levels of self-disclosure during therapy,...Show moreMental health issues impact a significant portion of the population worldwide, and result in the acquisition of therapy. Despite its efficaciousness, individuals experience several barriers in entering therapy. External factors such as financial constraints or availability can impact internal factors such as one’s motivation or self-stigma. Previous literature has established that motivation influences treatment entry and therapeutic outcomes, and that self-stigma impacts such motivation. It is also established that self-stigma may impact self-disclosure during therapy; however, the manner in which motivation, self-stigma, and self-disclosure interact cohesively is unknown. Therefore, the present study investigated the following research question: How does self-stigma in seeking help and motivation to join therapy impact an individual’s self-disclosure during therapy? It was hypothesised that high levels of self-stigma would lead to low levels of self-disclosure during therapy, mediated by motivation. It was further hypothesised that this relationship would correlate with the unsolved issues after therapy. A custom-made questionnaire was utilised, consisting of pre-existing scales. An ANOVA, mediation analysis, and MRA all yielded non-significant results. The effect of the proposed relationship on therapeutic outcomes could not be investigated. Thus, two other relationships were investigated, yet both yielded non-significant results. The direct effect of self-stigma on self-disclosure was significant. The non-significant results may be attributed to confounding variables, or the study’s limitations. This study encourages future research into the relationship between variables influencing the therapeutic process and its outcomes given the prevalence of mental health issues.Show less

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We Need to Talk: The Relationship between Motivation, Self-Stigma, and Self-Disclosure during Therapy