A theoretical model of multiple stigma: ostracized for being an inmate with intellectual disabilities

Stigma management during reintegration of older incarcerated adults with mental health issues: A qualitative analysis

INTRODUCTION

The number of older prisoners with mental health issues released from prisons and forensic psychiatric institutions is rising. Their successful integration is important due to its implications for the public's safety and the individual's health and well-being. However, reintegration efforts are hampered due to the double stigma attached to 'mental illness' and 'incarceration history'. To alleviate the burden of such stigma, affected persons and their social networks employ stigma management strategies. This study sought to investigate the stigma management strategies of mental health professionals supporting older incarcerated adults with mental health issues in their reintegration process.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews with 63 mental health professionals from Canada and Switzerland were carried out as part of the overall project. To address the reintegration topic, data from 18 interviews were used. Data analysis followed the thematic analysis approach.

RESULTS

Mental health professionals emphasized the double stigmatization of their patients which impaired their quest for housing. Lengthy searches for placement frequently resulted in patients' unnecessary long stays in forensic programs. Nevertheless, participants outlined that they were at times successful in finding appropriate housing for their patients due to the use of certain stigma management strategies. They stated that they, first, established initial contacts with outside institutions, second, educated them about stigmatizing labels and, third, provided ongoing collaboration with public institutions.

DISCUSSION

Incarcerated persons with mental health issues face double stigmatization that affects their reentry process. Our findings are interesting as they illustrate ways in which stigma can be reduced, and how the reentry process can be streamlined. Future research should include the perspectives of incarcerated adults with mental health issues to shed more light on the various options that they seek for successful reintegration after imprisonment.

Preventing and improving interactions between autistic individuals and the criminal justice system: A roadmap for research

Researchers have identified that autistic individuals are encountering the criminal justice system as victims, offenders, and witnesses at high rates. The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing and generating a comprehensive approach to addressing criminal justice system involvement among autistic individuals is a timely and urgent need. Revisions to an established framework generated for use among individuals with mental health diagnoses, the sequential Intercept Model (SIM), were produced by an international consortium of interdisciplinary stakeholders presenting a new opportunity to identify gaps in ASD research and generate preventive solutions across the criminal justice system. The revised SIM maps each criminal justice system component, or Intercept, and includes paths for the experiences of autistic individuals as victims or witnesses to crimes as well as offenders to catalyze new and interdisciplinary research, policy, and practice efforts. As the field of ASD research continues to grow, the revised SIM is a promising pathway to avoiding siloed research approaches, including diverse autistic voices, and contributing to international dialogue about criminal justice reform at a critical juncture. LAY SUMMARY: Autistic individuals are encountering the criminal justice system as victims, offenders, and witnesses at high rates. A revised version of the SIM generated by an international consortium provides a cohesive framework to ensure research focused on this topic extends across the criminal justice system. Preventing and improving interactions between autistic individuals and the criminal justice system is an urgent research, policy, and practice need.

Employment after incarceration: managing a socially stigmatized identity

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the social stigmatization of the formerly incarcerated identity and how this affects employment post-release. The authors consider the characteristics of this identity and the identity management strategies that individuals draw from as they navigate employment.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 men at various stages of release from federal institutions in Canada. Participants were actively searching for employment, intending to or would consider searching for employment, or had searched for employment in the past post-incarceration. Participant data were simultaneously collected, coded and analyzed using an inductive approach (Gioia et al., 2012).

Findings

Formerly incarcerated individuals have a unique awareness of the social stigmatization associated with their criminal record and incarceration history. They are tasked with an intentional choice to disclose or conceal that identity throughout the employment process. Six identity management strategies emerged from their accounts: conditional disclosure, deflection, identity substitution, defying expectations, withdrawal and avoidance strategies. More specifically, distinct implications of criminal record and incarceration history on disclosure decisions were evident. Based on participants’ accounts of their reintegration experiences, four aspects that may inform disclosure decisions include: opportune timing, interpersonal dynamics, criminal history and work ethic.

Originality/value

The authors explore the formerly incarcerated identity as a socially stigmatized identity and consider how individuals manage this identity within the employment context. The authors identify incarceration history and criminal record as having distinct impacts on experiences of stigma and identity management strategic choice, thus representing the experience of a “double stigma”.

Layered stigma? Co-occurring depression and obesity in the public eye

OBJECTIVES

Obesity and depression are common conditions in the general public and show a high level of co-morbidity. Both conditions are stigmatized, i.e., associated with negative attitudes and discrimination. Previous research shows that devalued conditions can overlap or combine to produce a layered stigma which is associated with more negative health outcomes than either single devalued condition alone. This study therefore set out to investigate the double stigma of obesity and depression.

METHODS

A telephone-based representative study of the German population was conducted. Vignettes describing women with obesity, depression or both conditions were presented, followed by a set of items on semantic differentials based on previous stigma research of depression (depression stigma DS) and obesity (Fat Phobia Scale FPS). Personal experience with depression and obesity was assessed.

RESULTS

All comparisons were significant in univariate ANOVA, showing negative attitudes measured by the FPS and the DS to be most pronounced in the double stigma condition. Multivariate analysis, controlling for age, gender, education and personal experience with the stigma condition (e.g. having obesity or depression), show that the double stigma obesity and depression is associated to more negative attitudes on the FPS (b=0.163, p<0.001) and the DS (b=0.154, p=0.002) compared to the single-stigma condition.

CONCLUSIONS

The magnitude of the layered stigma of obesity and depression may need to be considered in mental health settings when treating the depressed patient with obesity, but likewise in obesity care when treating the obese patient with depression.