Why do people stigmatize depression? Need for cognitive closure and materialism as risk factors.

BACKGROUND

Despite various anti-stigma initiatives, the stigmatization of individuals suffering from depression remains a significant issue. While previous studies have examined the influence of demographic factors on self-stigma related to depression, there is a notable lack of research exploring individual psychological factors as potential predictors of personal depression stigma. This study aimed to determine the extent to which culture, age, gender, education, level of contact with depression, need for cognitive closure, and materialism explain personal depression stigma in two Eastern European countries.

PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: Two hundred twenty-four participants from Romania and the Republic of Moldova (176 females, 46 males) aged between 16 and 62 (M = 27.21, SD = 9.73) completed a set of online self-report questionnaires. Data were collected using Google Forms.

RESULTS

Hierarchical multiple regressions analysis revealed that materialistic values explain a significant amount of variance in personal depression stigmatization, compared to the variance explained by demographic factors and need for cognitive closure. Moreover, need for cognitive closure significantly moderates the relationship between level of contact with depression and personal stigma against depression.

CONCLUSIONS

Hierarchical multiple regressions analysis revealed that materialistic values explain a significant amount of variance in personal depression stigmatization, compared to the variance explained by demographic factors and need for cognitive closure. Moreover, need for cognitive closure significantly moderates the relationship between level of contact with depression and personal stigma against depression.