Honor Endorsement Strengthens Military Personnel’s Help-Seeking Stigma Toward Mental Health

Suicide Life Threat Behav. 2026 Jun;56(3):e70113. doi: 10.1111/sltb.70113.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Suicide among US military personnel (active-duty and veterans) is a public health crisis, with rates among personnel far exceeding that of the general population. However, military-related suicide rates are not evenly distributed across the United States, with research indicating that they are higher in more honor-oriented states. In addition to firearm accessibility being a significant suicide risk factor for both military personnel and individuals in honor cultures, both groups also stigmatize help-seeking for mental healthcare. We examined whether honor endorsement differentially affected military personnel and civilians help-seeking stigma, hypothesizing that self-stigma and perceived social stigma would be strongest among honor-oriented military personnel.

METHOD: Participants were 236 civilians and 475 military personnel. We examined associations between their endorsement of honor norms and three forms of help-seeking stigma while controlling for relevant factors (e.g., gender, income, health insurance).

RESULTS: Both military personnel (v. civilians) and honor endorsement were associated with greater self-stigma and perceived social stigma, but not barriers to care. Most importantly, honor endorsement strengthened military personnel’s self-stigma and perceived social stigma toward help-seeking.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings add to literature on the honor-military association and suggest that the cultural ideology of honor might serve as a barrier to help-seeking for military personnel.

PMID:42175564 | DOI:10.1111/sltb.70113