Digital Commons Network^™

Disrupting Epistemic Injustice: Implications For Lived-Experience Accounts Of Mental Illness In Social Work Education, Jessica D. Hawkins

University Honors Theses

Mental illness stigma interventions have not been shown to be effective on a large scale. It has been suggested by stigma researchers that being in close proximity to people with mental illness, or listening to their lived-experience narratives, could reduce mental illness stigma. This study proposes an inclusion of a Mad studies framework in social work education -- a framework that highlights the importance of lived-experience accounts of mental illness in knowledge production about this population. Inclusion of lived-experience narratives could reduce stigma and discrimination of people with mental illness among social workers and other service providers.

Model.Disclose(): Examination Of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Disclosure At Work, Timothy Allen Carsey

Dissertations and Theses

Research focused on Identity Management (IDM) in the workplace has explored the experiences of people with many different stigmatized identities (e.g., sexual orientation, gender identity, race/ethnicity, religiosity); however, research has only recently begun to explore IDM of mental illness in the workplace. One such identity, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), has remained particularly unexplored. Individuals with mental illnesses, such as OCD, experience unique consequences with their concealment and disclosure process. Specifically, OCD has both cognitive and behavioral components, and, the behavioral component of OCD can demonstrate to coworkers visible actions that are seen as "not normal" or "awkward," potentially unintentionally signaling the …

Addressing The Body Mass Index Using A Teaching Math For Social Justice Lens, Riley J. Wolfe

University Honors Theses

Teaching Math for Social Justice (TMSJ) lessons are designed to explain math in social justice contexts. TMSJ leads to better engagement with math content by providing relevant contexts. Because the field is so new, there are math topics not yet covered and areas of social justice that also have gone unaddressed by TMSJ. One of these topics is the problem of weight discrimination. This paper will explain how Body Mass Index (BMI) can be used as a jumping off point to introduce the issue of weight discrimination. Then, a detailed lesson plan is provided which connects the historical origin of …

Perceptions And Experiences Of Indian And Indian-American Multilingual And Multicultural Adults Who Stutter, Bhavani Ganesh

University Honors Theses

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the intersectional identities of Indian and Indian American people who stutter and explore how their multicultural and/or multilingual identities contribute to their self-perceptions and experiences of disability.

Method: Five Indian or Indian American adults (all male) who stuttered participated in a semi-structured interview via Zoom. Interview transcripts were analyzed using a phenomenological qualitative research methods process. The qualitative research process included in-vivo coding, identification of categories, and emergence of themes.

Results: Participants reported both unique and shared experiences related to their stuttering and their multicultural and multilingual backgrounds. Four major themes …

Drug Conviction And Employment Restriction: Experiences Of Employees With Drug-Related Criminal Histories, Liana Bernard

Dissertations and Theses

It has been established that there are numerous barriers to obtaining and maintaining employment following a criminal conviction, including background checks, which occur as part of most selection processes. Barriers to obtaining and maintaining employment may be higher for individuals with drug-related criminal histories as they may face particularly severe negative stereotypes. This study examines the experiences of individuals with drug-related criminal histories' integration into the workplace and society. Additionally, because stereotypes about individuals with drug-related criminal histories are contradictory to those of individuals with stable employment, I examine how these individuals are impacted by reductions in the stigma that …

Reducing Stigma Associated With Growing Up Poor: How To Create A More Equitable Future For Working Class Adolescents, Jessica Goodpaster

University Honors Theses

I examine how stigma associated with socioeconomic status (SES), or social class, has the potential to negatively impact individuals during adolescence. Specifically, I focus on the impact of class stigma, and the institutional barriers faced by adolescents as they prepare for adulthood. These barriers and the stress felt due to both stigmatization, and environmental stimuli specifically pertaining to low-income neighborhoods/environments, can hinder or alter the development of the four major domains of development: physical, social, emotional and cognitive development. Stigmatization has resulted in physically and socially isolating low-income communities from middle- or high-income communities, hindering social mobility for L-SES adolescents. …

Barriers To Hiv Testing Among Cameroonian Men : The Role Of Stigma And The Impact Of Covid-19, Heidi Iyok

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

ABSTRACT

Albinism In Africa: Examining Identity Formulation, Corinne Tinkham

Honors Theses

Albinism is a genetic condition that often intersects at disability and perceived notions of race; this double-stigmatization has proved problematic for people with albinism living in Africa, who not only appear physically different from others in their community but are also commonly regarded as ontologically different. Individuals with albinism in Africa undergo frequent challenges throughout their lifetime that significantly shape their identities. This process of identity formation begins in early childhood and is greatly impacted by unequal access to healthcare and schooling, harmful rumors and mythologies surrounding the condition’s origins, violence, workplace discrimination, income inequality, and many other factors. In …

Stuttering Accommodations In Professional Environments: The Intersectionality Between Multiculturalism, Multilingualism, Stigma, Disability Identity And Rights, Sulema Rodriguez, Megann Mcgill

Student Research Symposium

Stuttering is a fluency disorder that disrupts the forward flow of speech (Guitar, 2014). People who stutter (PWS) have been falsely represented in the media and negatively perceived by the general public (Boyle, 2011; Williams, 2015). This public stigma, including cultural and linguistic differences, contributes to the development of self-stigma (Dean & Medina, 2020; Gerlach et al., 2018; Plexico et al., 2019). Stuttering public stigma also leads to decreased earnings and opportunities in the workplace and higher education discrimination (Gerlach et al., 2018; Klein & Hood, 2014). Consequently, there has yet to exist a research study that considers the intersectionality …

Virtual Community For Fat People In Outdoor Recreation, Amber C. Stephens

University Honors Theses

This paper examines online virtual communities for fat people within outdoor recreation, and how they provide connection, complex agency, and representation for fat bodies in spaces where their bodies are seen as taboo. Furthermore, it will explore the way fat bodies have been historically viewed, the lack of representation of fat bodies in the outdoors and related communities, and the gate-keeping that occurs to those who do not conform to traditional stereotypes of an outdoorsy person. Close examination of two different Instagram accounts that highlight the fat body in the outdoors will reveal three main representational elements that are an …

Returning To Rejection: Outcomes And Boundary Conditions Of Mental Illness Stereotypes, Stefanie Fox

Dissertations and Theses

Mental illness is a common condition in the United States, with over 20% of working age adults managing a mental illness condition in a given year. Disclosure of mental illness is often required for workers to take advantage of employer-provided resources (e.g., accommodations), yet use of resources is exceedingly low (less than 10%). Negative stigma-related outcomes are a top reason for which individuals delay the use of resources. Using an experimental design in an online data collection of 242 participants over two time points, the current study builds on existing organizational diversity literature to examine the stereotypes associated with mental …

To Disclose Or Not To Disclose? Self-Disclosure Of Mental Health In The Workplace, Samantha Margaret Reynolds

Dissertations and Theses

When making the decision to disclose a mental illness, individuals may be met with a number of factors that impact disclosure. This study examines the relationship between self-stigma, psychological safety, social support and self-disclosure of mental illness in the workplace. The present study surveyed 756 participants and found a positive relationship between stigma and self-disclosure as well as a positive relationship between social support and self-disclosure. For work outcomes, there was a negative relationship between both job satisfaction and productivity in relation to self-disclosure. This study potentiates the antecedents and consequences of self-disclosure of mental illness and how it impacts …

Urbanicity As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Stigma And Well-Being Outcomes For Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses, Emily Leickly

Dissertations and Theses

During the deinstitutionalization movement in the 1960s, community mental health centers and supportive and affordable housing for people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) was concentrated in economically disadvantaged urban centers. Today, these urban centers are becoming increasingly gentrified and unaffordable for people with SMI. Affordability is no longer synonymous with urban living, and supportive housing for people with SMI is increasingly found in non-urban areas. Given this shift, it is important to understand the potential impacts of non-urban living on people with SMI. Non-urban environments provide potential benefits for the general population, including reduced traffic and increased proximity to the …

Development And Validation Of The Workplace Mental Illness Stigma Scale (W-Miss), Nicholas Anthony Smith

Dissertations and Theses

Although 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness at some point, each year people with mental illnesses continue to face high levels of stigmatization and discrimination at work. Recognizing this, many organizational researchers and practitioners have sought to improve workplaces for employees with mental illness through a variety of organizational interventions. Unfortunately, few interventions are thoroughly evaluated. One barrier to evaluating such interventions is the lack of a theoretically meaningful measure of workplace mental illness stigma. In this dissertation, I proposed to develop and evaluate such a measure (the W-MISS) based on Jones, Farina, Hastorf, Markus, Miller, and …

Stigmatization And Mental Illness: The Communication Of Social Identity Prototypes Through Diagnosis Labels, Justin Samuel Leverett

Dissertations and Theses

This study tested whether participants exposed to a vignette describing an individual experiencing symptoms of depression, which included only the specific diagnosis label of "depression," would report significantly less stigmatized responses than participants exposed to an otherwise identical vignette which included only the non-specific diagnosis label "mental illness." The study is grounded in past research on stigmatization of mental illness and is informed by three theoretical frameworks, the social identity perspective, attribution theory, and labeling theory. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of the two alternate vignettes, then respond to a series of measures testing desire for social distance, …

Reducing Stigma Associated With Schizophrenia, James Reling

University Honors Theses

I examine stigma associated with schizophrenia and how psychiatric diagnosis, mental health professionals, the criminal justice system, and society ostracize and contribute to the suffering of approximately three million Americans. I doubt schizophrenia’s conceptualization as a progressively deteriorating biological disease and present the social conditions that accumulate stress for the individual and lead to psychotic episodes. I argue that schizophrenia cannot be understood as a “thing," but as a complex system of numerous variables contributing to a system of disorder resulting from prejudiced attitudes, discriminatory social-structural conditions, and unjust treatment of human beings needing extra resources to thrive. Ultimately, I …

Barriers To Mental Health Treatment For Refugees In Maine : An Exploratory Study, Hayley Fitzgerald

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers refugees face when it comes to accessing mental health treatment in Maine. Research suggests that refugees underutilize mental health services throughout the United States, despite equal to higher rates of mental health symptoms when compared to the general population. To acquire data, eight refugees were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Participants were asked to share about their perceptions of mental illness and mental health treatment, discuss coping mechanisms that they find useful, and offer suggestions for providers working with refugees. Major findings included that stigma, fear, language, and cultural …

Factors Asociated With Mental Health Help-Seeking Attitudes Among University Students In South Korea, Hee Chul Kim

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The current study investigated factors associated with mental health help-seeking attitudes among university students in South Korea. In particular, the study examined the moderating effects of culturally relevant factors (religiosity, social support, social stigma, and self-stigma) on the relationship between psychological distress and help-seeking attitudes and the mediating effect of stigma (social and self) on the association between psychological distress and help-seeking attitudes. A total of 240 students at 4 universities in South Korea completed in-class surveys in Spring 2016. Data was analyzed using a series of multiple regressions, hierarchical moderated multiple regression, and 3-step mediation regression. Results indicated that …

Does Degree Matter? : An Exploration Into The Stigmatization Of Mental Illness By Social Workers And Other Mental Health Professionals, Alexandria R. Huber

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This quantitative descriptive study sought to explore any differences in stigmatization by social workers and other mental health professionals. The second research question explored whether mental health professionals felt their degree program actively challenged them to explore stigma towards those with mental illness. Fifty participants completed an anonymous online survey that included the Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness scale, measuring stigma of mental illness. There were an additional four Likert scale questions exploring stigma of mental illness, and the participants perspectives of their education about stigma. The findings indicated that social workers had a lower mean score on the subscale …

In Their Skin : A Discourse On The Modern Tattoo Experience For Adults Aged Thirty And Over, Margaret Feeney

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative study was undertaken to determine what meaning individuals aged 30 and over with large scale tattoos place upon those tattoos. More specifically, to establish the motivating factors led these individuals to get tattooed, along with the meaning, if any, is placed upon them. Ten individuals aged 32-64 were interviewed regarding their tattoos. Half of the individuals were tattooed for the first time during adolescence. All individuals were interviewed regarding their motivations for getting tattooed as well as any meanings they place on specific pieces. The findings of the research showed the driving force behind getting tattooed to be …

A Kind Of Peace : The Real World Of Firearms Owners, Zachary Miner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation addresses the topics of stigma and legal consciousness through close examination of the attitudes and life experiences of legal gun owners in upstate New York. Based in the symbolic interactionist tradition, and using a grounded theory approach, this project explores data gathered from participant-observation sessions, and semi-structured interviews with 37 participants. Analysis of this data reveals that respondents highlight safety, responsibility, skillful operation, and fun as the primary values they associate with the ownership and use of firearms. Additionally, in a departure from previous research in this area, respondents reported few individual experiences of social stigma, and engage …

Fitness And Fatness: The Conflation Of Weight With Health, And The Consequences Of Fat-Shaming, Kristin Spurkland

University Honors Theses

Obesity is widely accepted as one of the major health crises facing the United States, and increasingly, the world. Labeled a disease by the American Medical Association, and frequently characterized as an epidemic, obesity is the target of high profile national health interventions, media campaigns, and a multi-billion dollar self-help industry. The message produced by public health agencies is that obesity is a killer, and that reducing weight is a beneficial and achievable goal generating many positive health outcomes. This paper presents two primary arguments that counter the prevailing attitudes towards obesity: that as a stand-alone measure, Body Mass Index …

Measuring Hiv Stigma Among Healthcare Providers, Michael John Sullivan

Theses

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) experience stigma that creates barriers have the net effect of limiting access to care and decreased quality of life. This study seeks to identify, quantify, and measure mechanisms that produce the negative outcomes of provider-based stigma in regards to PLWH. The study employs the Health Care Provider HIV/AIDS Stigma Scale (HPASS), a new instrument based on a tripartite model of measuring prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination as developed by Wagner et al. in 2014. The study shows stereotyping is prevalent in the sample as a whole while prejudice was statistically significant in both correlations and comparisons …

Substance Use Disorders And Stigma, Shirley S. Patrick

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Stigma is a problem for persons with substance abuse addictions and impacts access to health care services. The purpose of this project was to examine an educational program's effectiveness in reducing stigmatizing attitudes of health care professionals towards persons with substance abuse addictions. An educational program including a PowerPoint on substance abuse and stigma was presented to one group of nursing students and one group of Registered Nurses in a nurse residency program and pre-tests and post-tests completed. Results were calculated utilizing the paired samples ^-test. At the < 0 .05 level for a 2-tailed test only pairs seven, eight, and nine of the pre-test and post-test answers were statistically significant. Recommendations for future practice include educational programs targeting health care professionals. Stigma, social distance and discrimination are major obstacles to persons with addictions in obtaining mental health services.

Origins Of Clinician Bias Against People Diagnosed With Borderline Personality Disorder, Lindsay K. Heightman

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

A growing body of literature confirms that bias exists and thrives in mental health settings among clinicians charged with the care of individuals who meet criteria for BPD as outlined in DSM V – TR and DSM V. This study explores the origins of such bias against individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Second, this study examines the various sources of learning that shape student clinicians' attitudes about people with a BPD diagnosis. Study participants, all students in Master's-level clinical social work programs, responded to an anonymous online survey wherein they were asked to reflect on their learning experiences …

Self-Concept And Recovery : The Effects Of Stigma On Survivors Of Sex Trafficking, Pamela Alquitran Counts

Theses and Dissertations

Survivors of sex trafficking often face complex and complicated situations upon exiting. Stigmatization is a barrier that challenges efforts to heal and rebuild relationships. This study aimed to identify how survivors of trafficking understand the stigma from their families and communities, and how this experience of stigma affects their overall sense of self-concept and belief in their ability to cope and overcome their predicament. Results from interviews with six survivors of trafficking indicate that survivors carry multiple layers of stigma that are worsened by the addition of stigma associated with being trafficked for prostitution. Negative evaluations about the woman maintain …

A Sense Of Pride Over My Size : A Qualitative Study Of Women Of Size Who Consider Themselves Body Positive, Ruth A. Salen

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

This qualitative exploratory study investigated how women who self identify as a person of size and who have a positive body image developed their positive body identity. Through the process of a semi-structured interview, the study explored the personal experience of the participants from their youth into adulthood regarding the messages they received about their bodies and how they responded and resisted the impact of those messages. The theoretical underpinnings of this study were based on body objectification theory, stigma theory and feminist theory. Sixteen female participants participated in the study and shared what they believed contributed to their body …

Social Workers With Mental Illness : Coming Out In The Workplace, Alix M. Zamansky

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of disclosure in the workplace among social workers with mental health issues with a particular focus on the catalysts of coming out, whether stigma inhibits disclosure, and the perceived social and emotional benefits and costs of coming out. Due to the sensitive nature of the research topic, an anonymous online survey was used. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, mental health questionnaire, and a researcher-designed Outness Inventory. Thirty-six clinical social workers with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual diagnoses participated in the study, 21 of whom reported being out to someone at work …

Clinicians' Attitudes Towards Borderline Personality Disorder And Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder : Implications Of Gender And A Diagnostic Label, Marja A. Walthall

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

The purpose of the current study was to investigate mental health clinicians' diagnostic assessments of individuals who have features associated with both Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the effect of gender on their assessments, and associated attitudes. Recruitment resulted in a participant sample of 38 mental health clinicians who completed the survey in its entirety. Most of the participants identified as white (71.2%), were female (61.5%), worked in a community mental health center setting (76.9%) and had their LCSW (25%) or MA/MS in counseling (28.8%). Three surveys were evenly distributed between potential participants and each included …

Hiv/Aids Serostatus Disclosure And Stigma In Asian And Pacific Islander Women : A Call For Intersectionality In The Treatment Of Depression, Andrea L. Mize

Theses, Dissertations, and Projects

In the United States the prevalence and incidence rates of Asian and Pacific Islander (AandPI) women with HIV/AIDS is increasing. As many as 1 in 3 may not know they are HIV positive. Existing literature using stigma theory revealed that AandPI HIV positive women can experience both positive and negative mental health effects from HIV serostatus disclosure. These findings are an important mental health issue as HIV serostatus disclosure has traditionally been encouraged for the benefit of those diagnosed and their kinship networks. The present study seeks to examine the correlation found in previous research between disclosure or nondisclosure of …