Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Role of Mental Health Labels in Stigma and Status Processes

博士论文研究：心理健康标签在耻辱和地位过程中的作用

• 批准号: 1636924
• 负责人: Stephen Benard
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: Indiana University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-07-01 至 2018-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1636924&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Role; Mental

SES-1636924Stephen BenardBianca ManagoIndiana UniversityPast research has documented the serious stigma consequences of mental health labels. However, research has not examined how individuals are viewed when a mental health label is not given to explain deviant behavior; or compared how these consequences differ by the legitimacy of who provides the label (e.g., physician vs. layperson). A systematic investigation of labeling: (1) provides a better understanding of how to intervene in the stigma and status loss processes (e.g., targeting descriptions of behavior vs. mental illness labels in anti-stigma campaigns); (2) may inform physicians' decisions regarding diagnosing patients with mental illness; and (3) influences individuals' decisions regarding if, when, and how to disclose their own mental illnesses. To ensure this information is disseminated to individuals with mental illnesses and organizations dedicated to reducing mental illness stigma, the co-PI is collaborating with Bring Change 2 Mind - a national anti-stigma campaign. Finally, the proposed project will educate undergraduate research assistants by training them in social science research methodology, and teaching them the sociological implications of mental health issues.This project investigates how the presence, source, and characteristics of mental illness labels affect the desired social distance from (stigmatization), and perceived competence of (status) an individual. Specifically, the research asks: (1) When a mental health label is given to explain an individual's deviant behavior, how does that change others' evaluations of that person? (2) Does the legitimacy of the label's source (e.g., physician vs. layperson) change the label's impact? (3) How do the features of the mental illness affect this process? To examine these processes, the co-PI will complete a national survey experiment of adults in the United States. Following methods used in the 1996, 2002, and 2006 General Social Surveys, respondents will read a vignette that describes a person who is experiencing symptoms of a mental illness. The vignettes are identical except the presence/absence and source of a mental health label differ. To study the effect of uncertainty on stigma, the research compares the effects of providing a specific diagnosis (e.g., schizophrenia), to no diagnostic information, and finally, to an explicit non-diagnosis (e.g., John does not have a mental illness). To examine the effect of legitimacy, three sources of labels are considered: expert others (e.g., physician), non-expert others (e.g., friend or layperson), and the survey respondents themselves. Finally, to account for features of mental illness known to cause high levels of stigma, the co-PI will conduct four replications of this study, examining mental illnesses that: induce fear, disrupt social interaction, both, or neither. The researchers predict that when mental health labels are given to explain individual's deviant behavior, stigma will be reduced because the individual will not be held responsible for his/her behavior. They also predict that because of the physicians? perceived legitimacy, mental health labels that are applied by medical professionals, will be more effective at reducing stigma than labels that are applied by lay persons. Results will inform efforts to reduce the stigmatization and status loss of individuals with mental illness.

SES-1636924Stephen BenardBianca Manago 印第安纳大学过去的研究记录了心理健康标签带来的严重耻辱后果。然而，研究尚未检验当没有给出心理健康标签来解释异常行为时，人们会如何看待个人。或比较这些后果如何因提供标签的合法性而有所不同（例如，医生与外行）。对标签的系统研究：（1）更好地了解如何干预耻辱和地位丧失过程（例如，在反耻辱运动中针对行为描述与精神疾病标签）； (2) 可以告知医生关于诊断精神疾病患者的决定； (3) 影响个人关于是否、何时以及如何披露自己的精神疾病的决定。为了确保将这些信息传播给精神疾病患者和致力于减少精神疾病耻辱感的组织，联合首席研究员正在与 Bring Change 2 Mind（一项全国性反耻辱运动）合作。最后，拟议的项目将通过社会科学研究方法培训本科生研究助理，并教授他们心理健康问题的社会学影响。该项目研究精神疾病标签的存在、来源和特征如何影响与个人（污名化）和感知能力（地位）的理想社会距离。具体而言，该研究提出以下问题：（1）当给一个人贴上心理健康标签来解释一个人的异常行为时，这会如何改变其他人对该人的评价？ (2) 标签来源的合法性（例如，医生与外行）是否会改变标签的影响？ （3）精神疾病的特征如何影响这一过程？为了检查这些过程，联合首席研究员将完成一项针对美国成年人的全国调查实验。按照 1996 年、2002 年和 2006 年一般社会调查中使用的方法，受访者将阅读一段描述正在经历精神疾病症状的人的小插曲。除了心理健康标签的存在/不存在和来源不同之外，这些插图是相同的。为了研究不确定性对耻辱感的影响，该研究比较了提供特定诊断（例如，精神分裂症）、没有诊断信息、最后与明确未诊断（例如，约翰没有精神疾病）的影响。为了检验合法性的影响，需要考虑标签的三个来源：其他专家（例如医生）、其他非专家（例如朋友或外行）以及调查受访者本人。最后，为了解释已知会导致高度耻辱的精神疾病的特征，联合首席研究员将进行四次重复这项研究，检查以下精神疾病：引起恐惧、扰乱社交互动、两者兼而有之。研究人员预测，当给予心理健康标签来解释个人的异常行为时，耻辱感将会减少，因为个人不会对其行为负责。他们还预测是因为医生？医疗专业人员使用的心理健康标签比外行使用的标签更有效地减少耻辱感。结果将为减少精神疾病患者的耻辱和地位丧失的努力提供信息。