Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
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Meta-analysis of stigma and mental health
- Authors:
- MAK Winnie W. S., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 65(2), July 2007, pp.245-261.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Recent research has emphasized the adverse effects of stigma on minority groups’ mental health. Governments and service agencies have put much effort into combating stigma against a variety of conditions. Nevertheless, previous empirical research on the stigma–mental health relationship has yielded inconclusive findings, varying from strong negative to zero correlations. Thus, whether stigma is related significantly to mental health is yet to be confirmed. Using meta-analysis, the associations between stigma and mental health from 49 empirical studies were examined across various stigmatized conditions and mental health indices. Possible moderators were also explored. The mean correlation between stigma and average mental health scores corrected for sampling error, unreliability, and other artifacts was −.28 (N=10,567, k=52). No strong moderators were found, yet meaningful patterns were observed. Implications of the results are discussed.
The stigma of psychiatric disorders and the gender, ethnicity, and education of the perceiver
- Authors:
- CORRIGAN Patrick W., WATSON Amy C.
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 43(5), October 2007, pp.439-458.
- Publisher:
- Springer
The purpose of this American study is to determine how the demographics of perceivers influence their stigma of people with mental illness or with substance abuse. A nationally representative sample (N = 968) was asked to respond to a vignette describing a person with a health condition (schizophrenia, drug dependence, or emphysema) and his/her family member. Consistent with the hypotheses, women were less likely to endorse stigma than men. Participants with higher education were also less likely to stigmatize than less educated participants. Contrary to our expectations, non-white research participants were more likely to endorse stigma than whites. Implications of these findings for better understanding the stigma of mental illness, and the development of anti-stigma programs, are reviewed.
Will filmed presentations of education and contact diminish mental illness stigma?
- Authors:
- CORRIGAN Patrick W., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 43(2), April 2007, pp.171-181.
- Publisher:
- Springer
This study examines the impact of two versions of anti-stigma programs - education and contact -presented on videotape. A total of 244 people from a Chicago community college were randomly assigned to education or contact conditions and completed pre-test, post-test, and follow-up measures of stereotypes. Results suggest that the education videotape had limited effects, mostly showing improvement in responsibility (people with mental illness are not to blame for their symptoms and disabilities). Watching the contact videotaped showed significant improvement in pity, empowerment, coercion, and segregation. Contact effects were evident at post-test and 1 week follow-up. Implications of these findings for future research are discussed.
The quality of life, mental health, and perceived stigma of leprosy patients in Bangladesh
- Authors:
- TSUTSUMI Atsuro, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 64(12), June 2007, pp.2443-2453.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The present study aims to determine the quality of life (QOL) and general mental health of leprosy patients compared with the general population, and evaluate contributing factors such as socio-economic characteristics and perceived stigma. A total of 189 patients (160 outpatients, 29 inpatients) and 200 controls without leprosy or other chronic diseases were selected from Dhaka district, Bangladesh, using stratified random sampling. A Bangladeshi version of a structured questionnaire including socio-demographic characteristics—the Bangla version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment BREF (WHOQOL-BREF)—was used to assess QOL; a Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) was used to evaluate general mental health; the Barthel Index to control activities of daily living (ADL); and the authors’ Perceived Stigma Questionnaire was used to assess perceived stigma of patients with leprosy. Medical records were examined to evaluate disability grades and impairment. QOL and general mental health scores of leprosy patients were worse than those of the general population. Multiple regression analysis revealed that factors potentially contributing to the deteriorated QOL of leprosy patients were the presence of perceived stigma, fewer years of education, the presence of deformities, and a lower annual income. Perceived stigma showed the greatest association with adverse QOL. The authors conclude that there is an urgent need for interventions sensitive to the effects of perceived stigma, gender, and medical conditions to improve the QOL and mental health of Bangladeshi leprosy patients.
Caught between inequality and stigma: the impact of psychosocial factors and stigma on the mental health of Somali forced migrants in the London Borough of Camden
- Author:
- PALMER David
- Journal article citation:
- Diversity in Health and Social Care, 4(3), 2007, pp.177-191.
- Publisher:
- Radcliffe Publishing
This study was established to assess the impact that psychosocial factors have on the mental health of Somali refugees and how Somali people's perception of mental illness impacts on both community engagement and on accessing and utilising services. Information on service utilisation was drawn from secondary sources and data about users of a refugee centre in London. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of Somali forced migrants accessing the refugee service. The results indicate that the mental health of Somali refugees in Camden is shaped by social factors which characterise exile, and that access to health services is compounded by a preoccupation with post-migration stressors including immigration status, housing, social and socio-economic factors. In addition, Somali forced migrants make considerably less use of community groups due to stigma, which hinders the building of social capital for their members. This research adds to the knowledge base about good practice and service delivery.
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.
Challenge stigma and discrimination
- Authors:
- PINFOLD Vanessa, BORNEO Toni
- Journal article citation:
- A Life in the Day, 11(1), February 2007, pp.19-22.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article describes the successes of the Rethink anti-discrimination campaign in Norwich, which aimed to test out ways to challenge negative public attitudes.
The mark of shame: stigma of mental illness and an agenda for change
- Author:
- HINSHAW Stephen P.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 331p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Oxford
In this book, the author examines the longstanding tendency to stigmatize those with mental illness. He also provides practical strategies for overcoming this serious problem, including enlightened social policies that encourage, rather than discourage, contact with those afflicted, media coverage emphasizing their underlying humanity, family education, and responsive treatment. Stigma is a deeply inspiring and passionate work that is realistic and filled with hope. It combines personal accounts with information from social and evolutionary psychology, sociology, and public policy to provide messages that are essential for anyone afflicted or familiar with mental illness.
Organizational and individual level determinants of stigmatization in mental health services
- Authors:
- VERHAEGHE Mieke, BRACKE Piet
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 43(4), August 2007, pp.375-400.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Despite the large amount of research on the existence and the negative consequences of stigmatization of clients of mental health services, little is known about the differences between services. Using data from 520 clients of 47 rehabilitation centres in Belgium in a multilevel design, the authors studied organisational and individual characteristics explaining variation in social rejection and self-rejection. The results reveal that only a very small percentage of variance in stigmatization is explained by organizational features, such as size, composition of the client population and the kind of supplied activities. Client level characteristics affecting stigmatization are current mental health status, former mental hospitalization, and participation in psychotherapeutic activities.