Personal and perceived depression stigma in Australian adolescents: Magnitude and predictors

Background: Depression stigma has been identified as a barrier to help-seeking in adolescents. This study aimed to examine and compare levels of personal and perceived depression stigma amongst Australian adolescents and to identify predictors of these constructs. Methods: A total of 1,375 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (M = 14.34) completed the Depression Stigma Scale (DSS) and a number of other sociodemographic and symptom scale measurements as part of the pre-intervention questionnaire of the YouthMood Project. Results: Levels of perceived stigma (M = 20.53, SD = 5.06) were significantly higher than levels of personal stigma (M = 14.48, SD = 5.28). Higher personal stigma was predicted by being male (p < .001), younger (p = .01), living with both parents (p = .02), having no history of depression (p < .001), having no history of parental depression (p < .01), speaking English as a second language (p < .001), lower levels of mastery (p < .01), and higher levels of alcohol consumption (p < .001) and perceived stigma (p < .001). Higher perceived stigma was predicted by being female (p = .02), having a history of parental depression (p = .05), and higher levels of anxiety (p < .001) and personal stigma (p < .001). Limitations: Participants completed a self-report cross-sectional survey, which does not allow temporal relationships to be drawn. Conclusions: Stigmatising attitudes are common amongst the adolescent population. The identified predictors of stigma should be considered in the development of future community campaigns to reduce stigma in adolescents.