Mary Raven C. Lara Lara | Norman Paul Deg-Aoan |
September 29, 2025
The mental health of Filipinos is declining significantly, but stigma continues to prevent individuals from seeking psychological support. Previous studies show that self-stigma and mental health literacy significantly influence help-seeking behavior, contributing to reluctance in seeking help. However, research on Filipino mental health remains limited, with most literature focusing on Filipino Americans, Filipino immigrants, or younger age groups. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of mental health literacy between self-stigma and help-seeking intentions among middle-aged Filipino adults, utilizing the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) theory. An online survey was conducted with 219 middle-aged Filipino adults, and the data were analyzed through linear regression and mediation analysis. Results revealed that self-stigma significantly predicted psychological help-seeking intentions, while mental health literacy did not mediate this relationship. The findings provide valuable insights into the help-seeking behavior of middle-aged Filipinos, highlighting the need for novel approaches to improve mental health care utilization in the Philippines.