Social Network & Media Effects on Mental Illness Stigma

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This revised application responds to calls to integrate mental health services research with social/behavioral science (PA-99-073) by merging insights from theories of media, prejudice, and social contact into a model which elaborates community contact into a model which elaborates community and individual-level influences on reactions to persons with mental illness (MI). The proposed study focuses on the community side, exploring the nature and influence of one type of media (television), and one type of social contact (personal contact). We propose four specific aims. First, we aim to refine an inter-disciplinary theoretical framework of the community and individual-level influences on MI stigma (Aim I) Second, we propose to collect information on media messages, stigma, and social network contact by a) cataloguing the prevalence, range and nature of messages (i.e., positive or negative) of MI in one medium, television, using content analysis methods to analyze an existing sample of 1,640 TV hours taped for 9 channels in seven markets (Aim Ila), and b) employing survey research methods, to test a systematic model of the correlates of MI stigma in a representative regional sample (N=600), simultaneously determining the validity and reliability of measures of crucial variables and establishing baseline levels on study variables among subjects for subsequent experimental examinations (Aim lib). Third, we propose to empirically examine the physiological, cognitive, attitudinal, and emotional impact of positive and negative images of persons with MI on individuals and to establish the relationships between impact and production features. We use experimental methods and tailored analytical techniques to ascertain the nature of the impact of different messages catalogued in Ila, on individuals from the community (Aim III, n=90). Fourth, we propose to examine if and how change in MI stigma is affected by exposure to a composite of positive and negative media images of MI, and if these effects are moderated by previous social network contact with persons with MI (Aim IV). This final stage creates a composite of negative and positive TV images of MI based on information collected in I, II and III to develop and carry out a pre- and post-test experimental design/analysis (N=120).