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Associations among the number of mental health problems, stigma, and seeking help from psychological services: a path analysis model among Chinese adolescents
- Authors:
- CHEN Haide, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 44, 2014, pp.356-362.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Adolescents with mental health problems are likely to refuse to seek help from psychological services. This study aimed to examine whether a greater number of mental health problems were associated with a lower level of willingness to seek help from psychological services among adolescents; and whether the relationship between the number of problems and the willingness to seek help was mediated by self-stigma, public stigma, and attitudes toward help-seeking. A sample of 251 middle and high school students who have had at least one mental health problem was used for the analyses involved in this study. The bivariate correlation analyses showed that adolescents with more mental health problems were likely to report more negative attitudes toward help-seeking and to demonstrate less willingness to seek help. Path analyses showed that the number of problems did not directly influence the willingness to seek help; however, the relationship between these two variables was mediated by self-stigma and attitudes toward help-seeking. Furthermore, willingness to seek help was not directly influenced by the number of internalising and externalising problems. However, the relationship between the number of internalising problems and willingness to seek help was mediated by public stigma, self-stigma and attitudes toward help-seeking; additionally, the relationship between the number of externalising problems and willingness to seek help was mediated by self-stigma and attitudes toward help-seeking, except for public stigma. These findings emphasise the importance of stigma, particularly self-stigma, for adolescents in seeking help from psychological services. (Edited publisher abstract)
Culture and stigma: adding moral experience to stigma theory
- Authors:
- YANG Lawrence Hsin, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 64(7), April 2007, pp.1524-1535.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Definitions and theoretical models of the stigma construct have gradually progressed from an individualistic focus towards an emphasis on stigma's social aspects. Building on other theorists’ notions of stigma as a social, interpretive, or cultural process, this paper introduces the notion of stigma as an essentially moral issue in which stigmatized conditions threaten what is at stake for sufferers. The concept of moral experience, or what is most at stake for actors in a local social world, provides a new interpretive lens by which to understand the behaviours of both the stigmatized and stigmatizers, for it allows an examination of both as living with regard to what really matters and what is threatened. We hypothesize that stigma exerts its core effects by threatening the loss or diminution of what is most at stake, or by actually diminishing or destroying that lived value. We utilize two case examples of stigma—mental illness in China and first-onset schizophrenia patients in the United States—to illustrate this concept. We further utilize the Chinese example of ‘face’ to illustrate stigma as having dimensions that are moral-somatic (where values are linked to physical experiences) and moral-emotional (values are linked to emotional states). After reviewing literature on how existing stigma theory has led to a predominance of research assessing the individual, we conclude by outlining how the concept of moral experience may inform future stigma measurement. We propose that by identifying how stigma is a moral experience, new targets can be created for anti-stigma intervention programs and their evaluation. Further, we recommend the use of transactional methodologies and multiple perspectives and methods to more fully capture the interpersonal core of stigma as framed by theories of moral experience.
Experience of stigma among Chinese mental health patients in Hong Kong
- Authors:
- CHUNG K. F., WONG M. C.
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatric Bulletin, 28(12), December 2004, pp.451-454.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
The study was intended to rectify the lack of data on how Chinese people experience the stigma of mental illness. A questionnaire on perceived stigmatisation, experiences of rejection and ways of coping with stigma was completed by 193 persons attending a psychiatric out-patient clinic in Hong Kong. Most of the participants were aware of the stigma associated with mental illness, but experiences of rejection were relatively less frequent. Eleven per cent of the respondents indicated that they were neglected by health care professionals and 8% had been avoided by family members. The most frequently reported coping method was maintaining secrecy about the illness. In China, people with mental health problems experience stigma in various degrees. However, some of the people surveyed expressed feelings of relief that others were supportive and sympathetic towards their illness. Mental health professionals should maintain optimism in helping their patients to cope with the stigma.
Cognitive behavioral therapy group for reducing self-stigma for people with mental illness
- Author:
- YOUNG Daniel Kim-Wan
- Journal article citation:
- Research on Social Work Practice, 28(8), 2018, pp.827-837.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This research project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioral therapeutic (CBT) group in reducing self-stigma for people with mental illness in Chinese society. In this study, a quasi-experimental research method was adopted involving 71 people with mental illness receiving community-based mental health services. In total, 33 treatment group participants were assigned to a 10-session CBT group, while 38 control group participants received treatment as usual. Standardized assessment tools were used to collect data in the pre- and posttreatment periods by a research assistant. Analysis of covariance demonstrated that the CBT group was significantly more effective than the control group in terms of reducing self-stigma and depressive mood, with a moderate effect size, even after controlling for differences in various demographic variables between the treatment and control groups. This study provides evidence to support the efficacy and effectiveness of a CBT group for reducing self-stigma for people with mental illness. (Edited publisher abstract)