Lecture 16: Stigma

What are the dimensions of stigmatization?

- Concealability- How visible is the condition? Ex. Race vs. MI. - Course- How does the condition develop over time? - Disruptiveness- How does the condition strain interpersonal relationships? - Aesthetics- How much does the condition impact facial and/or bodily disfigurement? - Origin and controllability- How does the condition come into being and how controllable is it? - Peril- How much danger or threat is associated with the condition?

What is the difference between stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination?

- Stereotypes: The cognitive component of stigmatization. Knowledge of stereotypes doesn't ensure their endorsement. (ex: only anorexic women can be models - Prejudice: The affective component of stigmatization. Endorsement of negative stereotypes. (an idea or opinion that is not based on fact, logic, etc.) - Discrimination: The behavioral component of stigmatization. Response to prejudice. May lead to hostility, avoidance, or withholding of opportunity. (acting on prejudice)

Which interventions have been shown to reduce mental illness stigma?

- bc/ increased knowledge does not always lead to improved attitudes, its naive to think that public education will solve the problem of stigmatization alone - # of policy changes may help to limit discriminatory aspects - increased family understanding - public media: a different set of messages about mental illness - for families, education about the causes and realities of mental illness, social support from other families grappling w/ similar issues, and engagement in family-based therapies that give tools for coping with the difficult life issues are all necessary steps toward reducing stigma and shame

What are the special challenges to accessing mental health services faced by children and adolescents?

- children cant access mental health services on their own, need someone to refer them - parents need to be aware of child's condition, recognize that its a mental health problem, and decide what to do (go through process of considering options "contemplation stage" --> "action stage") - parents need to develop intentions, look for services, and jump through the hoops to receive services each step has many factors that can influence the parents decisions; stigma is a huge factor

How does stigma act as a barrier to accessing mental health services?

- less than 1/3 of youth who experience mental health problems in the US actually receive psychological services stigma is a huge barrier: - adults: can seek mental health services themselves - kids: cant seek services on their own, its a different process

How are key concepts in developmental psychopathology related to stigma? (See Hinshaw, 2005 p. 725-727)

- stigma across the lifespan - etiological models: dp models emphasize a linkage between individuals and their environments; stigma itself is an inherently relational construct - reciprocal determinism and transaction (read sg) - resilience: important construct for the SP fields conceptual models and for promoting more realistic and optimistic views in the wider culture

How has public awareness of mental illness changed since the 1950s? How has this affected (or not affected) the stigma of mental illness?

Public awareness of mental illness in 1996 had increased dramatically since the 1950's, as had beliefs in its dangerousness and desire for social distance (stigma increased) - more advertisements on mental illness lately - memoirs are proliferating

What is stigma?

an invisible, internal mark of shame related to membership in a deviant or castigated subgroup

What is the medical model for mental illness? Discuss whether viewing mental illness as a medical conditions leads to a reduction in stigma?

medical model = when mental disorders are viewed as the exclusive products of flawed genes or biochemistry --> increased desired social distance and punitive attitudes --> increased perceptions of chronicity of illness & stigma of family members --> reduced tendency to blame --> increase in administration of shock as punishment This perspective has been associated with bursts of reform and humane treatment, also led to the perception of MI as permanent hopeless and predetermined

medical model

when mental disorders are viewed as the exclusive products of flawed genes or biochemistry