Stigma and Health, Vol 11(1), Feb 2026, 31-42; doi:10.1037/sah0000544
Stigmatizing beliefs may increase the risk of suicidal ideation (SI), yet few studies have explored the relationship between mental health-related stigma and SI. Existing work on this topic has largely been conducted cross-sectionally and/or focused on populations without SI. This investigation examined the associations between mental health stigma and SI cross-sectionally and longitudinally using two methodological approaches in two U.S.-based undergraduate samples (N = 286; N = 237), with one selectively recruiting individuals with recent SI. We conducted regression analyses to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between the type of stigma (i.e., perceived stigma, barriers to seeking care, suicide stigma, and help-seeking self-stigma) and SI. We also conducted random-intercept cross-lagged panel models adjusting for unmeasured, stable confounders that vary across people to approximate quasi-explanatory associations. This approach allowed us to determine what stigma was associated with SI, examine whether these associations differed by SI severity, and dissociate within- from between-person variability. Regression analyses indicated that (a) perceived stigma, barriers to care, and help-seeking self-stigma were associated cross-sectionally with SI in both samples and (b) beliefs glorifying/normalizing suicide were associated cross-sectionally and longitudinally with SI only among those with recent SI. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models only found a quasi-explanatory association between stigma (i.e., perceived stigma, stigmatizing beliefs of suicide, beliefs that suicide is related to depression and isolation, and help-seeking self-stigma) and SI for the recent SI sample. These contrasting results highlight the importance of considering which type of stigma matters for whom when developing SI interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)