Self-Stigma Among People With Mental Health Problems in Terms of Warmth and Competence

Effects of Diagnostic Labels for Students With Learning Problems on Teachers' Stereotypes and Performance Expectations

Labeling students with learning problems may change teachers' evaluations of them. Our study examined whether the "Special Learning Needs" (SLN) and "Learning Disability" (LD) labels influenced teachers' beliefs that the diagnosis was correct and activated a low-competence stereotype. We examined whether this stereotype lowered teachers' performance expectations and teaching intentions. N = 413 general and special education teachers were randomly assigned to the control (no label) or one of the experimental groups (SLN/LD label). All teachers read the description of a fictitious student with learning problems. Only in the experimental groups was the student labeled with an LD or SLN. Results showed that both labels increased teachers' acceptance of the diagnosis as accurate. However, the labels did not change teachers' stereotypes of the fictitious student. The LD label lowered some of teachers' long-term performance expectations, resulting in more track recommendations to a special school. Unexpectedly, the SLN label increased the intention to foster the student's academic performance. Some performance expectations of special education teachers were lower than those of general education teachers, which did not manifest in different teaching intentions. The findings are discussed in the context of the Dilemma of Difference.

Non-traditional mental health clinical placements: An effective means for reducing self-stigma in pre-registration nursing students

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT

Pre-registration nursing students report high rates of stigma, leading to low help-seeking attitudes when seeking help for mental health issues. Traditional mental health clinical placements can improve stigma related to attitudes and social distance for pre-registration nursing students.

WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE

There are nil recorded clinical placement interventions that have decreased self-stigma for pre-registration nursing students, with this study highlighting a clinical placement model that is effective in significantly decreasing self-stigma.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The knowledge around the mental health struggles experienced by pre-registration nursing students, and the effect of a non-traditional mental health placement in decreasing self-stigmatizing attitudes in this population, is important for the future of retaining mental health nurses. There is an opportunity to use the clinical placement model presented, and design interventions for nursing students that aims to promote help-seeking behaviours.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Traditional mental health clinical placements can improve pre-registration nurse stigma toward mental illness, particularly in measures of attitudes and social distance. However, they have not yet been shown to improve self-stigma, which affects mental health disclosure and help-seeking behaviour.

AIM

The present study investigates nursing students' stigma following a non-traditional mental health placement immersed alongside people living with mental illness.

METHODS

Three stigma subtypes were measured using the Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers: Attitudes, Social Distance, and Disclosure/Help-seeking.

RESULTS

Pre-registration nurses (N = 848) completed the instrument pre- and post-placement. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) identified a large effect of placement on stigma (p < .001,η p 2 = .101). Post hoc pairwise comparisons revealed all three types of stigma decreased after the non-traditional placement (Attitudes: p < .001,η p 2 = 0.09, Social Distance: p < .001,η p 2 = 0.07, Disclosure/Help-seeking: p < .001,η p 2 = 0.04).

DISCUSSION

These findings emphasize that attending a non-traditional mental health clinical placement can effectively reduce multiple types of nursing student stigma.

LIMITATIONS

Further research in this area could focus on which attributes of the clinical placement setting foster positive help-seeking.

IMPLICATIONS

These results are noteworthy for stigma surrounding disclosure/help-seeking, as traditional (i.e. hospital-based) mental-health clinical placements have been found ineffective in reducing nursing student stigma in this domain.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Further research into the effectiveness of non-traditional clinical placements in reducing nursing students' stigma regarding mental health disclosure and help-seeking, is required.

Common Mental Health Conditions and Self-Stigma in Saudi Adults: Implications for Promotion and Intervention

Objective

Saudi Arabian adults face high rates of depression, stress, and anxiety. Self-stigma complicates the situation, hindering timely treatment and resulting in adverse outcomes. This study examined the prevalence of these mental health conditions and self-stigma among adults and their association with sociodemographic factors in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia. The findings will inform targeted interventions and support for better mental health understanding in the region.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 1056 participants aged ≥18 years. Convenient sampling was used, and participants completed a self-administered online questionnaire comprising 49 questions. The questionnaire covered demographics, mental illnesses (assessed through the depression, anxiety, and stress scale 21 [DASS-21] questionnaire), and self-stigmatizing attitudes toward the measured mental conditions (measured using the self-stigma of depression scale [SSDS] questionnaire).

Results

The majority of the 1056 participants were Saudi nationals living in the Jazan region, with a mean age of 29 years. The participants' mental health data revealed a high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms (55%, 56%, and 39%, respectively). The DASS-21 questionnaire results revealed varying degrees of depression (normal: 45%, mild: 12%, moderate: 20%, severe: 8%, extremely severe: 15%), anxiety (normal: 44%, mild: 7%, moderate: 18%, severe: 8%, extremely severe: 23%), and stress (normal: 60%, mild: 11%, moderate: 11%, severe: 10%, extremely severe: 7%). The mean self-stigmatization score reported was 52 (Standard Deviation (SD) = 17), with 540 (51%) participants having stigma and 513 (49%) with low levels of stigma. The relationship assessment between stigma and depression, anxiety, and stress revealed that levels of stigma were higher in normal individuals than in those having depression, anxiety, or stress. Regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between mental health variables, self-stigmatization, and other factors. The analysis revealed that urban residence and the severity of depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with lower levels of self-stigmatization.

Conclusion

This research highlighted the high prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress, along with self-stigmatization in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Recommendations include increasing awareness, improving access to services, promoting early intervention, enhancing community support, combating self-stigma, and conducting further research to confirm generalizability. Targeted interventions and public health strategies are needed to promote mental well-being and address this burden in Jazan.

A modified persian version of the self-stigma of depression scale among the Iranian population: a methodological study in 2023

INTRODUCTION

This cross -sectional research evaluated the psychometric properties of the Self-Stigma of Depression Scale (SSDS) among Iranian people.

METHODS

This methodological study was conducted among 881 people in 2023, Iran. The method of proportional stratified sampling was used to select participants. To evaluate the validity, face, content, construct, convergent, and discriminant were evaluated. The reliability of SSDS was assessed with the McDonald's omega coefficient, Cronbach α coefficient, and test- retest (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient).

RESULTS

In confirmatory factor analysis, the factor loading of all items of SSDS was more than 0.5, and two items had low factor loading. After deleted these items, goodness of fit indexes (such as GFI = 0.945, RMSEA = 0.067, AGFI = 0.917, CFI = 0.941, RFI = 0.905) confirmed the final model with 14 items and four factors of social inadequacy (3 items), help-seeking inhibition (4 questions), self-blame (3 questions), and shame (4 questions). In the reliability phase, for all items of SSDS, Cronbach α coefficient was 0.850, the McDonald omega coefficient was 0.853, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.903.

CONCLUSION

The Persian form of SSDS was approved with 14 items and four factors: social inadequacy, help-seeking inhibition, self-blame, and shame. This tool can be used to check the status of self-stigmatization of depression in different groups.

A systematic literature review of the stereotype content model in the fields of psychology and marketing: main themes examined in the literature and an agenda for future research in marketing

The stereotypes content model indicates that two traits (i.e., warmth and competence) govern individuals' impression formation. The great variety of research that has used this theory since the early 2000s leads to a need for a structured overview of prior findings. The goal of this study is to provide a concise map of research streams and present a research agenda. We conducted a systematic literature review of 955 articles. A bibliographic coupling analysis showed four clusters, i.e., (1) the general theoretical foundations of the SCM, (2) the societal impact of key stereotypes (with emphasis on gender), (3) research in clinical psychology and child development, and (4) marketing. Taking a closer look at research in marketing (using co-occurrence analysis), six research streams were identified, including research on branding, country-of-origin, front-line service providers, prosocial consumer behavior, perception of endorsers, and, more recently, on artificial intelligence (AI). The review presents key findings and research gaps across these topics. Finally, we reviewed the few articles that, although not falling into these streams, opened important research veins. This process provided the essential information to present a promising and complete research agenda, to continue building knowledge with impactful implications in different contexts.

Abortion stigma among abortion seekers, healthcare professionals and the public in high-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Abortion is a crucial sexual and reproductive right. However, the legal situation of pregnancy termination is rather heterogeneous across countries and regions. The political climate and cultural perception may result in abortion-related stigma. This mixed-methods systematic review protocol aims to detail the proposed methods for assessing the current state of research on abortion stigma in high-income countries from an abortion seeker, healthcare provider and public perspective.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols guideline, we conducted a systematic literature search of peer-reviewed studies from high-income countries in relevant electronic databases: PubMed, CINHAL, PsycINFO, LIVIVO and Cochrane Library. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method studies that measured or examined abortion-related stigma in abortion seekers, healthcare professionals and the general public will be included. Assessment of risk of bias, data synthesis and qualitative meta-aggregation will be carried out.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The results of the systematic review will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals and presented at relevant conferences.

Problematic smartphone use and two types of problematic use of the internet and self-stigma among people with substance use disorders

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Guided by the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution (I-PACE) model and a self-stigma framework, this study aimed to investigate relationships between cognitive and affective self-stigma and behavioral self-stigma, problematic use of internet (PUI), and problematic smartphone use (PSU) among people with substance use disorders (SUDs). It also examined mediating roles for affective self-stigma in the relationships between cognitive self-stigma and behavioral self-stigma/PUI/PSU.

METHODS

Using a cross-sectional design, 530 participants diagnosed with SUDs in Taiwan were recruited from a psychiatric center in Taiwan. Mediation models were investigated using the Hayes' Process Macro Model 4.

RESULTS

Mediation analyses indicated that cognitive self-stigma was directly associated with behavioral self-stigma (p < 0.001), but not with either types of PUI or PSU (p-values ranging from 0.41 to 0.76). Affective self-stigma was directly related to behavioral self-stigma (p < 0.001), two types of PUI, and PSU (β = 0.24-0.30; all p < 0.001); cognitive self-stigma was indirectly associated with behavioral self-stigma (β = 0.53; 95  % bootstrapping CI = 0.46, 0.60), two types of PUI, and PSU (β = 0.20-0.25; 95  % bootstrapping CI = 0.08-0.14, 0.31-0.37) via a mediating effect of affective self-stigma.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Findings support the I-PACE model in a self-stigma context. The findings also suggest that addressing affective self-stigma may help prevent or reduce behavioral self-stigma, PUI, and PSU among people with SUDs. Longitudinal studies are warranted to investigate over time relationships between self-stigma and PUI/PSU in people with SUDs.

The stereotype content model and mental disorders: Distinct perceptions of warmth and competence

This work investigates the perception of eight different mental disorders within the Stereotype Content Model (SCM). The presented study (N = 297) includes a sample representative for the German population in terms of age and gender. Results reveal distinct warmth and competence evaluations for people with different mental disorders, e.g., people with alcohol dependence were seen as less warm and less competent than people with depression or phobia. Future directions and practical implications are discussed.

Preoperative optimization of cardiac valve patients' expectations: Study protocol of the randomized controlled ValvEx-trial

Introduction

Complete recovery after surgery depends on psychological factors such as preoperative information, expectations, and surgery-associated anxiety. Prior studies have shown that even a short preoperative psychological intervention aiming at optimized expectations (EXPECT) can improve postoperative outcomes in coronary artery bypass patients. However, this intervention may benefit only a small subgroup of heart surgery patients since implementing preoperative psychological interventions into the daily clinical routine is difficult due to the additional time and appointments. It is unclear whether the EXPECT intervention can be shortened and whether heart valve patients would also benefit from interventions that optimize patients' expectations. The multicenter ValvEx trial aims (i) to adapt an effective preoperative psychological intervention (EXPECT) to make it brief enough to be easily integrated into the preoperative routine of heart valve patients and (ii) to examine if the adapted preoperative psychological intervention improves the subjectively perceived illness-related disability (PDI) up to 3 months after surgery.

Materials and analysis

In two German university hospitals, N = 88 heart valve patients who undergo heart surgery are randomized into two groups [standard of care (SOC) vs. standard of care plus interventional expectation manipulation (SOC and EXPECT)] after baseline assessment. Patients in the EXPECT group additionally to standard of care participate in the preoperative psychological intervention (30-40 min), focusing on optimizing expectations and have two booster-telephone calls (4 and 8 weeks after the surgery, approx. 15 min). Both groups have assessments again on the evening before the surgery, 4 to 6 days, and 3 months after the surgery.

Discussion

The trial demonstrates excellent feasibility in the clinical routine and a high interest by the patients.

Ethics and dissemination

The Ethics Committees of the Department of Medicine of the Philipps University of Marburg and the Department of Medicine of the University of Giessen approved the study protocol. Study results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at congresses.

Clinical trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04502121.