Depression-related stigma: comparing laypersons' stigmatic attributions towards younger and older persons

Comparing social stigma of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder: A quantitative experimental study

BACKGROUND

Currently, we know little regarding how stigma attributed to eating disorders compares to that of other psychological disorders and additionally within different types of eating disorders. In the current study, we aimed to explore the stigmatisation of eating disorders by comparing the stigma attributed to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, utilising depression as a comparative control.

METHODS

A total of 235 participants from the general population were randomly assigned to an anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, or depression condition. Participants responded to a questionnaire consisting of several adapted versions of pre-existing subscales that measured levels of stigma associated with psychological disorders generally, as well as stigma associated with eating disorders specifically. We used several one-way analyses of variance to investigate the differences in stigma attributed towards the aforementioned psychological disorders.

RESULTS

Results suggested that all three eating disorders were significantly more stigmatised than was depression. Between the eating disorders, the three were generally equivalent except that binge-eating disorder was significantly more stigmatised than both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa on a subscale measuring trivialness.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that individuals with eating disorders, including binge-eating disorder, may be at a higher risk of experiencing the negative implications of stigma when compared to other psychological disorders, such as depression. To our knowledge, this study is one of few that directly quantify and compare stigma attributed towards anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Through further research, a better understanding around the expression of stigma towards specific eating disorders could inform the development of targeted interventions to help reduce the stigma associated with these disorders. This knowledge could also advance the understanding of the lived experience of individuals living with eating disorders, subsequently informing treatment practices.

The Association Between Depression and All-Cause, Cause-Specific Mortality in the Chinese Population - China, 2010-2022

What is already known about this topic?

Depression is linked to higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates, but its effects on specific subgroups and non-cardiovascular mortality in the Chinese population remain unclear.

What is added by this report?

Both severe and mild to moderate depression were found to elevate mortality rates among the Chinese population. The impact was particularly notable among males, urban residents, younger individuals, and those with higher education levels. Depression exhibited a stronger connection with fatalities related to suicide and non-suicidal injuries.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Individuals experiencing mild depression require healthcare attention to avoid negative consequences. Enhanced physical and psychological support is particularly crucial for high-risk subgroups.

Depression severity mediates stigma and quality of life in clinically stable people with schizophrenia in rural China

BACKGROUND

Depressive symptoms associated with schizophrenia are closely related to stigma and quality of life(QOL). There is, however, no thorough research on the connection between the three. This study sought to investigate the possible factors influencing depressive symptoms in people with schizophrenia (PWS) in rural Chaohu, China, and to further explore the role of depression severity in stigma and lifestyle quality.

METHODS

Eight hundred twenty-one schizophrenia patients accomplished the entire scale, including the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Social Impact Scale (SIS), and the World Health Organization on Quality of Life Brief Scale(WHOQOL-BREF). A straightforward mediation model was employed to determine if the intensity of the depression could act as a mediator between stigma and QOL.

RESULTS

Two hundred seventy-nine schizophrenia patients (34%) had depressive symptoms (PHQ ≥ 10), and 542 patients (66%) did not (PHQ < 10). Logistic regression showed that marital status, job status, physical exercise, standard of living, and stigma contributed to the depressed symptoms of schizophrenia. Depression severity partially mediated the effect between stigma and QOL, with a mediating effect of 48.3%.

CONCLUSIONS

This study discovered a significant incidence of depressed symptoms associated with schizophrenia, with depression severity serving as a mediator variable connecting stigma and QOL and partially moderating the association.

Comparing Social Stigma of Dissociative Identity Disorder, Schizophrenia, and Depressive Disorders

The aim of the current study was to explore how the social stigmatization of dissociative identity disorder (DID) compared to that of schizophrenia and depressive disorders. Using a between-subjects experimental design, a total of 139 participants (126 usable data [39 men, 84 women, 3 other]) from the general population were randomly assigned to either a DID, schizophrenia, or depressive disorders experimental condition and responded to an adapted version of the Prejudice Toward People With Mental Illness (PPMI) Scale. Results suggested that, overall, depressive disorders were stigmatized against the least, schizophrenia was stigmatized against the most, and DID was intermediate, with its PPMI score being closer to schizophrenia than that of depressive disorders. We also found the same pattern for most of the subscales of the PPMI. At least relative to other well-known disorders, there is negative stigma associated with having DID.

Evaluation of the impact of a self-stigma reduction programme on psychosocial outcomes among people with schizophrenia spectrum disorder

BACKGROUND

Self stigma is assumed to be more prominent in Jordanian society than in Western countries, reflecting a poor understanding of mental illness, collectivistic culture, and delay in accessing psychiatric care.

AIM

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-stigma reduction programme on self-stigma.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial was conducted from November 2017 to December 2018 with 278 people diagnosed with schizophrenia (PDwS). Participants were randomly assigned to receive a self-stigma reduction programme (psychoeducation, cognitive behavioural therapy and social skills training), or treatment as usual (TAU).

RESULTS

PDwS in the intervention group experienced a greater reduction in the level of self-stigma (20.19 vs -0.62; p < 0.001) at post-intervention and (37.35 vs -0.66; p < 0.001) at six-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that the self-stigma reduction programme has the potential to reduce self-stigma levels.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT04087954.

Maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and trait anger as predictors of depression severity

BACKGROUND

According to empirical evidence, trait anger and emotion regulation strategies are associated with depression severity. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of trait anger and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies in explaining the variance of depressive symptoms severity.

METHODS

Two hundred three participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder completed measures of depression, trait anger, depressive rumination, anger rumination and experiential avoidance. Path analysis using Mplus was employed for data analysis.

RESULTS

Trait anger and depressive rumination were significant predictors of the level of depressive symptomatology, while experiential avoidance and anger rumination did not predict the level of depressive symptoms severity.

CONCLUSION

Maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and trait anger seem to be associated with the level of depressive symptoms, and, as such, should also be investigated when working with depressive symptomatology.

Self-stigma formation process among younger and older Israeli Arabs diagnosed with depression

OBJECTIVES

Self-stigma is common among persons with depression. Still, studies that examined the process of self-stigma concentrated mostly on younger adults (ages 18-65) with mental illness in general, with a limited number of studies examining older adults with depression. This study was aimed to examine and compare the self-stigma formation process and its relation to self-esteem among younger (ages 18-64) and older Israeli Arabs (age 65+) diagnosed with depression. The study was based on a self-stigma model which defines the self-stigma formation process as composed of three stages: stereotypes awareness, stereotype agreement, and self-concurrence.

METHOD

A total of 160 younger and older Israeli Arabs with depression completed measures of self-stigma formation process, self-esteem, and socio-demographic and health characteristics.

RESULTS

The self-stigma formation process was found as a multi-level and progressive model for both younger and older adults, despite that older adults reported significantly higher levels of self-stigma in all stages of the process. Low self-esteem was significantly associated with higher levels of stereotype agreement and self-concurrence in both age groups.

CONCLUSION

The self-stigma formation process provides an adequate model for understanding depression self-stigma in both younger and older adults. Appropriate intervention programs aiming to reduce self-stigma should be developed, focusing on reducing the three stages of self-stigma.

A cross-sectional survey of stigma towards people with a mental illness in the general public. The role of employment, domestic noise disturbance and age

INTRODUCTION

Stigmatization impedes the social integration of persons recovering from mental illnesses. Little is known about characteristics of the stigmatized person that lessen or aggravate public stigma.

PURPOSE

This study investigates which characteristics of persons with mental illnesses (i.e. with a depression or a psychotic disorder) might increase or decrease the likelihood of public stigma.

METHODS

Over 2,000 adults read one of sixteen vignettes describing a person with a depressive disorder or a psychotic disorder and answered a set of items measuring social distance.

RESULTS

The person who was employed (vs. unemployed), or whose neighbors did not experience domestic noise disturbance (vs. disturbance) elicited significantly less social distance. Also persons with a depressive disorder elicited less social distance, vs. persons with a psychotic disorder.

CONCLUSION

Employment and good housing circumstances may destigmatize persons coping with mental illnesses. Mental health and social services should encourage paid employment, quality housing and other paths to community integration.

The Relationship between Individual-Level and Context-Level Factors and Social Distancing from Patients with Depression in Taiwan: A Multilevel Analysis of National Surveys

Background: Research on social distancing from patients with depression has primarily focused on individual-level factors rather than context-level factors. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between individual-level and context-level factors and social distancing from depressive patients. Methods: Sample data were collected via computer-assisted telephone interviews with 800 Taiwanese adults aged 20 to 65 years in 2016. All effects were tested using multilevel analysis. Results: With regard to individual-level variables, male sex, older age, people with more perceived dangerousness and those with more emotional reaction of fear were associated with greater social distancing from depressive patients. After controlling for individual-level variables, a positive association was found between the degree of urbanization and social distancing. We also found the interaction between the density of psychiatric rehabilitation services and perceived dangerousness to be associated with social distance. This finding revealed that persons with more perceived dangerousness and living in a region with higher density of psychiatric rehabilitation services were associated with greater social distance. Conclusions: We found that social distancing from depressive patients is not only determined by individual-level factors but influenced by the surroundings. This study provides useful directions for the implementation of optimal anti-stigma interventions for patients with depression.