Digital Commons Network^™

More Than Just An Exchange : How Does Access To Syringe Exchange Impact Actively Using Participants' Emotional Well-Being, Melissa A. Morelli

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative, exploratory study examines how accessing Syringe Access Services (SAS) directly impacts program participants' emotional well-being. The purpose of this research is to give voice to individuals who utilize SAS services; to gain personal and valuable information about the nature of the participant; and to reveal the emotional and mental health outcomes linked with SEP's. Twelve individuals who have been program participants of SAS for over a year were interviewed for this study. Participants were interviewed indoors at one of the SAS's fixed needle exchange sites in the Bay Area. In-person semi-structured interview questions elicited participants' experience with various …

Stigma, Race And Mental Illness : African-American Clinicians' Perceptions Of How These Factors Influence Help-Seeking Behaviors In African Americans, Rabi'ah S. Jamar

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored the stigma of mental illness within the African American community from the perspective of African American clinicians. Nine clinicians were interviewed and were asked to discuss personal messages received about mental illness within their family, community, and religious organizations. They also shared their perceptions of African American attitudes, based upon client interactions, towards mental illness and whether a change has occurred within the past 5-10 years; identifiable stigmas within the African American community; inhibitors to help-seeking behaviors; variables that influences help-seeking behaviors; and their recommendations for improving African Americans' comfort with disclosure within the therapeutic setting. …

Teachers' Negative Comments Toward Youth In Foster Care With Disabilities: How Do They Relate To Youths' Problem Behaviors, School Attitudes, And School Performance?, Sunghwan Noh

Dissertations and Theses

A large proportion of youth in foster care receive special education services, and poor educational outcomes are one of the most important difficulties facing these youth. One potential risk affecting the low educational achievements of youth in foster care and special education could be teachers' negative and stigmatizing comments toward them. Teachers' negative and stigmatizing comments could have negative effects on youths' behaviors, school attitudes and school performance. Yet, research on the nature and the impact of teachers' negative and stigmatizing comments remains limited.

Based on labeling and attribution theories, this study investigated the nature and impact of teachers' negative …

Stigmatization Of Mental Health Service Consumers By Social Workers, Amelia Grace Wedge

Theses Digitization Project

In this Positivist study, the researcher asked the question, what factors determine Social Workers' perceptions of consumers who receive mental health services. The study participants were Bachelor's and Master's of Social Work students. Results of the study suggested that education increased students' levels of stigma towards mental health consumers, but personal and mental health work experience did not influence levels of stigma.

"She's Such A Borderline" : Exploring The Stigma Of Borderline Personality Disorder Through The Eyes Of The Clinician, Jessica C. Fritz

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study was undertaken to explore the attitudes and feelings that mental health clinicians have towards Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), which, as the literature shows, is a highly stigmatized diagnosis within the field. Special attention was paid to the participants' treatment experiences with this client population, including initial reactions, issues of countertransference, treatment approaches, prognosis, and clinician disclosure. The study was designed to explore the reasons or meanings behind the negative stereotypes that often accompany discussions around BPD. Previous research has not utilized a qualitative approach with therapists. Instead, the existing literature has focused on evidence-based treatments for BPD and …

Women's Social And Emotional Experiences With Abortion, Alicia M. Flanagan

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This mixed methods exploratory study piloted a non-validated online qualitative survey instrument to assess women's social and emotional experiences with abortion stigma from women recruited on college campuses in New England. Abortion stigma is defined as prejudices and discrimination directed at women who have abortions, and people and institutions that support women who have abortions. Thirty-nine women took an online survey instrument that asked respondents to: provide their reproductive health histories; report when they first learned of abortion; give information regarding their community's attitudes about abortion; state their feelings about abortion. Eight women, sampled from the qualitative survey pool, participated …

The Hiv/Aids Pandemic In African American Msm: Targets For Intervention, Kelly Neff

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2005 that 46% of African American men who have sex with men (MSM) are HIV positive. This review explores the unique factors that contribute to risky sexual behavior and the spread of HIV within this population, suggesting that the disparate prevalence of HIV among African American MSM is rooted in experiences of stigmatization from multiple sources and lack of social support from society at large as well as from within the African American community. Beliefs in HIV conspiracy myths are also thought to hinder HIV education, awareness and prevention for African …

Stigma And Knowledge: A Questionnaire And Literature Review, Melissa L. Pierce

ETD Archive

The main purpose of this study is to show a link between lack of knowledge about mental illness and stigmatizing attitudes towards those with mental illnesses. The first hypothesis, that stigma would be correlated with a lack of knowledge about mental illnesses was confirmed. The majority of results indicate that more knowledge about mental illness in general or about anxiety and/or schizophrenia is associated with less stigmatizing or negative attitudes. Some results didn't support the first hypothesis and these results show that some negative or stigmatizing responses were associated with more estimated knowledge about schizophrenia and/or anxiety.The second hypothesis was …

Let's Try To Change It: Psychiatric Stigmatization, Consumer/Survivor Activism, And The Link And Phelan Model, María Jimena Alvarado Chavarría

Dissertations and Theses

Stigma has been described as the most significant obstacle to quality of life for individuals with major psychiatric diagnoses (Sartorious, 1998). Much of the psychological literature on stigma focuses on individual attributes and interactions at the micro level, rather than macro level dynamics. In critiquing this traditional focus, Link and Phelan (2001) present a model in which stigma ensues when labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination co-occur in a situation of power imbalance. Even as the model fills a gap in conceptualizing stigma, its emphasis on power is unidirectional and fails to account for power as a form of …

Military Mental Health: Problem Recognition, Treatment-Seeking, And Barriers, Laura Bein

Dissertations (1934 -)

Substantial numbers of military troops are serving overseas in military operations and are returning home with elevated reports of psychological symptoms; however, a treatment gap exists between those reporting mental health problems and those receiving appropriate treatment. Stigma has been cited as a potential barrier to treatment-seeking, although few studies distinguish between perceived and public stigma or between stigma for having a mental illness versus that for seeking treatment.

In the present study, Army National Guard soldiers returning from deployment to Iraq were asked to complete questionnaires assessing psychological symptoms, as well as reports of perceived stigma from self and …

African American Men Facing Homelessness And Co-Occurring Disorders: A Qualitative Investigation Of Multiple Stigmas, Rebecca C. Mayor

Dissertations (1934 -)

Homelessness is a pervasive and problematic phenomenon, and programs designed to assist individuals experiencing homelessness and reduce homelessness face a number of challenges. One such challenge involves difficulty engaging and retaining clientele experiencing homelessness in supportive services (Bhui et al., 2006; Ng & McQuistion, 2004; Padgett et al., 2008). The literature suggests that one explanation for this difficulty may involve the stigmatization experiences that individuals facing homelessness accumulate over time; previous studies have indicated that holding a marginalized position in society may make individuals experiencing homelessness more reluctant to engage in services (because of social rejection fears) and/or more sensitive …

The Impact Of Race And Psychosocial Factors On Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Young Adults In The Prodrome To Psychosis : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At The Center For Intervention Development And Applied Research, Boston, Massachusetts, Paula Daniela Mazzotta

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Few studies have examined how the mental health system in the U.S. presents barriers to help seeking especially among non-White populations. The purpose of this investigation was to identify racial disparities and psychosocial barriers to help seeking among clients in the prodrome to psychosis vulnerable to progression into schizophrenia. Using secondary data from a mixed-methods questionnaire, this study collected descriptive data relaying the perspectives of People of Color and their White prodrome counterparts on their perceived needs, attitudes, and experiences of professional mental health services. Using a sample (N=15) of prodromal individuals in the Boston-metro area, a semi-structured questionnaire measured …

Perceptions Of Treating Professionals : A Pilot Study Conducted With Employees Of The Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital In Bedford, Ma, Alanna Rose Sieck

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The objective of this study is to gather information from mental health professionals at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts about how they perceive patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). By building on research that has already been conducted, the purpose of this study is to understand if individuals with BPD are stigmatized against by medical professionals. The primary question is whether or not BPD is thought to be synonymous with "difficult" or "hard to treat," leading to less effective treatment. This research will be conducted through an anonymous survey that will be emailed to members …

The Stigmatization Of Methadone Maintenance Treatment And Its Effect On Social Support, Kenia Gabriela Rivas, Franceen Mary Rosales

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between perceived stigmatization from family as well as friends and its probable effects on social support from the same. Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is a treatment modality that has been proven to help achieve abstinence. However, due to controversy over MMT, this has brought stigmatization, social injustice and powerlessness to those who seek out treatment.

The Stigmatization Of Deathcare Workers, Shannon Rose Simone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research has indicated that Funeral Directors and Embalmers are stigmatized for their work. Studies have shown that, although the decay of dead bodies is a stigmatized process in American culture, these particular deathcare workers are able to shift the focus of their services from the dead to the living. However, there remains a lack of research regarding deathcare workers who are not employed as Funeral Directors or Embalmers— those whose positions are not as obvious to the general public. This research explores how, why, and to what degree stigma is placed on those individuals who spend the majority of their …

Age, Gender, And Tattoos: Tattoo Stigma And Hiring Decisions, Carla Anne Zimmerman

Theses Digitization Project

While it is illegal to discriminate against a job applicant for their age or gender, screening networking sites before hiring not only makes these factors salient, but may also provide information on more justifiable reasons for refusing to hire an applicant. Tattoos are one such potential reason and the stigma is especially detrimental to women. The purpose of this study is to examine how the age, gender, and tattoo stigma affect perceptions of a job applicant.

Asian Americans And Cultural Values : Encountering And Overcoming Sociocultural Barriers To Community Mental Health Services : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, William Lee

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study explored the narrative experience of Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AA/PIs), who have received or are currently receiving community mental health services. This study was an attempt to illuminate their experience of encountering and overcoming socio-cultural barriers to these services. Historic underutilization of mental health services among AA/PI communities motivated the need to explore what cultural and/or institutional factors reduce barriers to services. Four AA/PIs, with an average length of 7.25 years in treatment, were recruited from a community mental health agency in San Francisco, CA. They participated in 45- minute to one hour semi-structured interviews discussing their experience …

The Influence Of Collective Self-Esteem And The Impact Of Perceived Stigma From Others On Sorority Women's Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Services : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, Lauren Michelle Baron

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Although researchers are aware of the fact that public and group stigma affect mental health help-seeking behavior, there has been no research on level of collective self-esteem and stigma within specific social networks related to members' attitudes toward seeking mental health services. This study aimed to identify a relationship between sorority women's collective self-esteem, or how much they value their membership in the sorority, and their perceived stigma from their fellow sorority members on their overall attitudes toward seeking mental health services. Fifty-one sorority women between the ages of 18-24 self-selected to participate in an online survey composed of three …

Stigmatizing Will And Grace : A Theoretical Exploration Of Gay Male Straight Female Fictive Kin Relationships : A Project Based Upon An Independent Investigation, Michelle Anne Beaulieu

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

Alternatives to heterosexual or homosexual partnerships, such as non-sexual relationships between gay men and straight women, constitute an understudied yet important source of social support for the people in them. This study is an exploration of one specific manifestation of such a relationship, specifically between gay men and straight women, utilizing the concept of "fictive kin" as a way of understanding these relationships. Using interdependence theory and social construct theory to elucidate the ways GMSF relationships have been, and continue to be, stigmatized, this paper offers a lens for understanding the implications of this stigmatization.

Attitudes Of Mental Health Professionals Toward Mental Illness : Comparisons And Predictors : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At Department Of Youth Services, Massachusetts, David Townsend Browne

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This quantitative descriptive study examines the differences in attitudes toward mental illness and the mentally ill between different groups of mental health workers by asking the following questions: Do mental health workers with higher levels of education show lower levels of mental health stigma? Do mental health workers with more experience in the field show lower levels of mental health stigma? This study uses a data set collected with the help of David Browne and analyzed by Marjorie Postal of Smith College. The sample consists of 64 DYS staff who attended a Staff Appreciation Day and filled out a survey …

What Are The Mental Health Seeking Behaviors Of Female Sex Workers?, Serena Wong

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This study asked the following question: What are the mental health help seeking behaviors of female sex workers? The study examined: (1) the mental health help seeking behaviors of female sex workers; (2) sex workers perception of the efficacy of talking to professionals (counselors, psychologists, social workers) and non-professionals about emotional issues and; (3) experiences and feelings related to the disclosure of their sex work status to their therapist. Fifty-eight women who were currently sex workers or had worked within the last year responded to a mixed methods survey questionnaire. The survey covered a range of issues in regards to …

The Effects Of Sexually Transmitted Illness (Sti) Stigmatization On Intimate Relationships : Non-Infected Partners' Perceptions, Reactions, Feelings And Attitudes Toward Female Partners' Disclosure Of Herpes Simplex Virus (Hsv) Positive Status, Sarah Heath Williams

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore in greater depth the effects of Sexually Transmitted Illness (STI) stigma on intimate relationships by examining the reactions of non-infected intimate partners to their female partner's disclosure of her Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) positive status. The research question was: what are non-infected partners perceptions, reactions, feelings and attitudes to their female partner's disclosure of HSV positive status? This exploratory mixed-methods study was informed by the extant literature on STI stigma and intimate relationships. The lens of stigma theory is used to frame the discussion of the findings. Forty-three participants responded to the …

Exploring The Lives Of African Americans Living With Mental Illness : A Project Based Upon An Investigation At Also Cornerstone, New Haven, Connecticut, Lois Jihae Son

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative research study sought to explore the effect mental illness has had on the lives of African Americans, the language these individuals employ to describe their experiences, and how African Americans' experiences with racial discrimination have informed how they view their psychiatric diagnoses. The study sample included seven individuals who (a) were English-speaking (b) were males or females 18 years of age and over (c) self-identified as African American (d) carried a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizophrenia-spectrum disorders or any major affective disorder (e) and were in current stable mental health. Interviews with study participants were conducted in …

The Effects Of Stigma Perpetuated By Substance Abusers On Mentally Ill Substance Abusers In Residential Treatment, Mark Eugene Barnstable

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to examine mentally ill substance abusers (MISA's) perception of stigma, and stigma experiences perpetuated by non-mentally ill substance abusers in residential treatment and its association with MISA's level of well being. Stigma related to mental illness has been explored and conceptualized by researchers as having various constructs that affect individuals in diverse ways.

Correlations Between Stigma And Self-Esteem In Mental Health Consumers, Marilyn Dee Pitts

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to measure correlations of stigma with self-esteem among individuals who are receiving treatment for a mental illness.

Preinteraction Expectancy Effects And Stereotypes: Impacts In A Clinical Context, Angel Marie Casey

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.