Examining the Relationship between Indian Women’s Household Decision making and Mental Health Help-seeking Stigma

Tvisha Gupta

doi:10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.047

Title: Examining the Relationship between Indian Women’s Household Decision making and Mental Health Help-seeking Stigma
Authors: Tvisha Gupta
Journal: International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research (IJSSER) ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume: 11 Issue: 8 Publication Date: August 2026 DOI: 10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.047
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Tvisha Gupta Modern School Barakhamba
MLA 8 Gupta, Tvisha. "Examining the Relationship between Indian Women’s Household Decision making and Mental Health Help-seeking Stigma." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 11, no. 8, Aug. 2026, pp. 4394-4405, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.047. Accessed Aug. 2026. APA 6 Gupta, T. (2026, August). Examining the Relationship between Indian Women’s Household Decision making and Mental Health Help-seeking Stigma. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 11(8), 4394-4405. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.047 Chicago Gupta, Tvisha. "Examining the Relationship between Indian Women’s Household Decision making and Mental Health Help-seeking Stigma." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 11, no. 8 (August 2026), 4394-4405. Accessed August, 2026. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.047.
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ABSTRACT: Mental health help-seeking stigma remains a significant barrier to accessing psychological support, particularly among women, whose well-being is influenced by social and cultural factors like autonomy and decision-making within the household. The present study examined the relationship between women's household decision-making autonomy and mental health helpseeking stigma and explored whether family type, employment status, and educational attainment influenced their decisions. A quantitative survey was conducted among 40 women residing in India using items adapted from the EMERGE women's role in household decision-making scale. At the same time, mental health help-seeking stigma was measured using items adapted from the stigma and self-stigma scales for attitudes to mental health problems. Pearson's correlation and Mann–Whitney U tests were conducted to analyse the data. The findings revealed a positive relationship between household decision-making autonomy and mental health help-seeking stigma. Working women demonstrated higher household decision-making autonomy than nonworking women. These findings highlight the relationship between women's autonomy and attitudes towards mental health help-seeking and emphasise the importance of promoting women's empowerment and mental health awareness to support their overall well-being.

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