Measuring Recurring Stigma in the Lives of Individuals with Mental Illness.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Ezell JM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5756102 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Measuring Recurring Stigma in the Lives of Individuals with Mental Illness.
Ezell Jerel M JM Choi Chien-Wen Jean CJ Wall Melanie M MM Link Bruce G BG
Community mental health journal 20170817 1
We present an exploratory factor analysis of the 8-item Daily Indignities of Mental Illness (DIMI) scale, created to measure the detection and perceptions of recurring stigma among individuals with recent psychiatric hospitalizations. Structured in-person interviews were conducted with individuals with recent psychiatric hospitalizations in metropolitan New York. The 8-item DIMI scale's internal consistency for the sample (n = 65), measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.869. Statistically significa ...[more]
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Project description:Although the last decade has seen a proliferation of research on mental illness stigma, lack of consistency and clarity in both the conceptualization and measurement of mental illness stigma has limited the accumulation of scientific knowledge about mental illness stigma and its consequences. In the present article, we bring together the different foci of mental illness stigma research with the Mental Illness Stigma Framework (MISF). The MISF provides a common framework and set of terminology for understanding mechanisms of mental illness stigma that are relevant to the study of both the stigmatized and the stigmatizer. We then apply this framework to systematically review and classify stigma measures used in the past decade according to their corresponding stigma mechanisms. We identified more than 400 measures of mental illness stigma, two thirds of which had not undergone any systematic psychometric evaluation. Stereotypes and discrimination received the most research attention, while mechanisms that focus on the perspective of individuals with mental illness (e.g., experienced, anticipated, or internalized stigma) have been the least studied. Finally, we use the MISF to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of mental illness stigma measurement, identify gaps in the literature, and provide recommendations for future research.
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Project description:An expert survey was designed to support the development of a workplace-based multi-country intervention tackling depression, anxiety, and mental illness-related stigma in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Academic experts and representatives of SME organisations, specific sector organisations, labour or advocacy groups, and occupational health organisations, were contacted across eight European countries and Australia. The survey comprised closed and open text questions to assess expert opinion about interventions for employees with mental health difficulties, interventions supporting their managers, and anti-stigma interventions. The survey was available in six languages. The online platform Qualtrics was used for data collection. Quantitative data was analysed through descriptive statistics and qualitative data was analysed through thematic analysis. Sixty-five of 146 experts responded, representing a 42% response rate. Results showed only 26.2% of experts agreed that employees could speak openly about mental health issues, and 81.5% of experts indicated a large or medium unmet need for support for employees with mental health issues. Psychoeducational materials, face-to-face workshops and interventions based on cognitive behavioural therapy were ranked most likely to be taken up by employees. Experts rated as most useful for managers' guidelines on how to act if an employee has mental health issues (67.7%). The greatest number of experts indicated workshops of people with lived experience of mental illness (80.0%) and awareness campaigns (78.5%) were most required to tackle stigma. Responses were consistent between experts from different countries and areas of expertise. Experts in this multinational survey assessed that interventions supporting mental health in the workplace and tackling stigma are greatly needed. A multicomponent intervention with a wide range of materials and tools is supported.
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Project description:BackgroundWhile many studies have explored the concept and correlates of stigma towards individuals with mental illness, few have investigated the role of personality in this process. In the current study, we firstly examined the relationship between personality and stigma towards mental illness; and then explored the moderating effects of personality traits on the relationship between contact experience/s and stigma.MethodsParticipants were recruited from public medical (N = 502) and nursing schools (N = 500) from April to September 2016 in Singapore for this cross-sectional survey, and they were randomly assigned to a vignette describing one of the following mental disorders: major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, alcohol abuse, schizophrenia, and dementia. Stigma was measured by the 'Personal and Perceived scales of the Depression Stigma Scale' and the 'Social Distance Scale'. These scales together had a 3-factor structure based on a previous national study in Singapore, namely 'weak-not-sick', 'dangerous/unpredictable' and 'social distance'. Personality was measured by the 20-item short form of the International Personality Item Pool-five factor model measure.ResultsRegression suggested agreeableness and openness to experience were negatively associated with all three domains of stigma. 'Weak-not-sick' and extraversion were positively associated; and 'social distance' was positively associated with higher scores on conscientiousness and neuroticism. Both close- and non-close contact were associated with more positive attitudes towards mental illness among the participants. Openness to experience moderated the relationships of close contact experience with 'weak-not-sick' and 'dangerous/unpredictable', but in different directions. The association between close contact and 'social distance' were moderated by agreeableness.ConclusionsUnlike non-close contact experience, close contact with people with mental illness worked differently on stigma for individuals with different personality traits. Future studies are needed to further explore the underlying mechanisms for such differences.
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