Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Individual’S Self Awareness Of Mental Illness: The Effects On Implicit Bias, Microaggressions, And Racial Discrimination, Sarah Zoubaa

Student Theses

The purpose of the current study is to understand the factors that impact how persons experiencing subclinical psychological symptoms or an undiagnosed but clinically significant psychological problem perceive individuals who been diagnosed with mental illness. Previous literature has investigated the experiences of discrimination among those with mental health problems, but not their attitudes and behavior towards individuals among their in-group. It was hypothesized that individuals with an emerging mental health problem will have higher rates of implicit bias and perpetrate more microaggressions towards those with a mental illness in order to remove themselves from a group that is associated with …

Perceptions Of Confidentiality And Stigma Associated With Use Of Counseling Services, Jesi Hall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Counseling services are offered in most universities, but are often underutilized. Past researchers found that students listed time, cost, stigma, and confidentiality concerns as their top reasons for avoiding seeking help (e.g., Clement et al., 2015; Dearing, Maddux, and Tangney, 2005). The purpose of this study was to identify whether concerns about confidentiality affect stigma related to use of mental health services. Students answered questions about perceived stigma and the reasons they have avoided seeking counseling in the past. Those who had previously used services reported fewer confidentiality concerns. In a stepwise multiple regression, concerns about confidentiality were found to …

Does Machismo Culture Influence Latina/O Attitudes On Mental Health?, Amanda R. Mercado

Theses and Dissertations

This study represents an attempt to contribute to the identified gap in knowledge towards the effects of machismo on both Latina women and Latino men and how it effects their attitudes towards mental health. The idea that previous research on machismo has been so one-sided, but has revealed that psychological distresses were present and ignored, leaves room for my research to explore how Latina women are affected because they are just as susceptible to psychological distresses as men. By using a research based framework to explain the effects of machismo on both Latina women and Latino men, my study will …

Mental Health Stigma And Help-Seeking In A College Sample: Barriers And Potential Motivators For Action, Christina H. Morris

Honors College Theses

Stigma surrounding mental health is one of many barriers impeding help-seeking behavior. This study had two aims: (1) to examine the relationships between mental wellbeing, internalized stigma, help-seeking attitudes, and demographic variables such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and marital status, and (2) to explore what hinders students in the help-seeking process and determine what would make students more likely to seek psychological help if they perceive a need for it. It was hypothesized that the relationship between internalized stigma and help-seeking attitudes would be moderated by gender, and the relationship between mental wellbeing and help-seeking attitudes would be mediated …

Perceived Effects Of Learning Disabilities On College Students, Samantha E. Penta

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceived effects of learning disabilities on college students, as well as the barriers faced during the transition into postsecondary education. The sample was composed of 37 undergraduate students reporting a learning disability diagnosis. A questionnaire was distributed to explore several factors; including university accommodations, barriers to academic success, and perceived stigma on campus. Participants over the age of 18 reporting a learning disability were included in the study. Approximately one-quarter of participants reported the presence of a learning disability, however, the majority of these students denied receiving academic accommodations from their …

The Relationship Between Masculinity And Stigma: Predicting Help-Seeking Behaviors In Men, Bethany G. Johnson

Honors College Theses

Men tend to not seek help for mental health reasons, even when they express significant symptomology. Men’s barriers to help seeking are masculinity and stigma. The current study examined how masculinity, self-stigma, public-stigma, and perceived public stigma are related to men’s help seeking behaviors and the type of help seeking behavior men report advising for themselves, a friend, and a stranger. Results show masculinity was positively correlated to self-stigma and public stigma and self-stigma and public stigma are also positively correlated. Additionally, men reported being less willing to seek psychological help when expressing symptomology but more willing to suggest a …

Adults’ Perceptions Of Children With Mental Illness Labels Who Tell Truths And Lies, Jessica Lynn Mccurdy

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study examined whether children’s truth- and lie-telling is perceived differently by adults when the children have mental illness labels (MIL). Participants (N= 432) read a vignette and watched a video from each of four veracity/motivation (i.e., prosocial truth, antisocial truth, prosocial lie, antisocial lie) and child label (i.e., control, ADHD, depression, asthma) conditions. After each video/vignette combination, participants rated their impressions of and responses towards the child. Participants also completed measures of their implicit and explicit attitudes towards mental illness. The results indicated participants had more negative perceptions of children they rated higher on dangerousness and lower …

Understanding Stigma, Secrecy, And Sex In Cnm Relationships, Rhonda Balzarini

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Scholars have posited that the family system is becoming more diversified with increases in same-sex, mixed sex, and consensually non-monogamous relationships. While same-sex and mixed-sex relationships have received considerable attention, public and academic interest in consensually non-monogamous relationships have increased dramatically. Yet despite increased interest, little is known about the ways in which relationships with various partners in non-monogamous relationships differ, whether differences that emerge are influenced by experiences of stigma or the desired role of different partners, whether stigma was driven by one’s relationship orientation, and how individual’s sexual attitudes impact the decision to pursue consensually non-monogamous arrangements. This …

“Your Biological Clock Is Ticking”: Examining Stigma Of Childless Men And Women, Kayla Tamas

USC Aiken Psychology Theses

Prior research reveals that all childless individuals are negatively stigmatized, but voluntary and involuntary childless individuals are stigmatized to differing degrees. There is a little research investigating the differences in stigma associated with childless men and women. The current study examines the differences in stigma for voluntary and involuntary childless men and women by using a series of vignettes and having participants rate the childless individuals on fourteen general characteristics. Participants were recruited from psychology and sociology courses at the University of South Carolina Aiken as well as Psychological Research on the Net through Hanover College. It was hypothesized that …

Explicit, Implicit, And Behavioral Stigmatization Of Mental Illness, Jessica S. James

Dissertations

Mental health concern is a public health concern that continues to be stigmatized. While the dual process model has been applied to other areas of social cognition (e.g., racism), this framework has not previously been frequently used to examine the stigmatization of mental illness. The current study sought to examine the stigmatization of mental illness within a dual process model to determine the relationship between explicit and implicit stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors. A total of 104 undergraduate students from the University of Southern Mississippi participated in this study. Participants completed multiple implicit and explicit measures of stigmatizing attitudes and behavioral …

Do Healthcare Students Endorsing Stigma Of Mental Illness Screen For Suicidal Ideation? An Evaluation Of Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors, Dannel K. Petgrave

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The stigma of mental illness endorsed by healthcare professionals has been linked to adverse outcomes. This issue underscores the need for early anti-stigma interventions in the context of professional training. The present study measured stigma change and suicide screening behaviors among medical, nursing, and pharmacy students enrolled in an interprofessional Communication Skills for Healthcare Professionals course. The Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS; Evans-Lacko et al., 2010), Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC; Modgill, Patten, Knaak, Kassam, & Szeto, 2014), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale Form C (M-C SDS Form C; Reynolds, 1982) was administered at baseline (T …

Social Work Perceptions Of Pedophiles: Opening The Dialogue, Dana Rose Montes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Pedophiles are the most stigmatized population in society (Jahnke, Imhoff, & Hoyer, 2015; Sanghara & Wilson, 2006). Social worker’s responsibility is to maintain standards and treat individuals with dignity and respect (NASW, 2017). It is important to explore bias against pedophiles because studies have shown bias is linked to offender recidivism rates (Jahnke, Schmidt, Geradt, & Hoyer, 2015). Social workers may unintentionally inhibit pedophiles from seeking treatment if they hold strong biases against them which could potentially negatively impact child abuse rates. The purpose of this study was to identify bias reduction techniques so that they could possibly be implemented …

African American Perceptions And Experiences On Preventive Family Therapy And Help-Seeking Behaviors In The Inland Empire, Nathnael Estifanos, Brandon Daniel Farmer

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study seeks to understand the perceptions of African American parents on preventive family therapy and their help-seeking behaviors. Specifically, this study aims to identify the factors that influence African American families in engaging in preventive family therapy and the barriers to accessing treatment. The data was collected through two group interviews that consisted of a total of 11 African American parents residing in Riverside County and San Bernardino County. The findings indicate that: (a) African American parents sought therapy primarily for crisis; (b) Alternatives to therapy were viewed as being just as effective; (c) Barriers to treatment include institutional …

Does Mental Illness Affect Societal Perception Of Sex Offenders?, Keely A. Bartram

Student Theses

Although mental illness is common in the sex offender population, it has never been examined how evidence of such may influence societal perception. In comparison to the non-sex offender population, it was hypothesized that participants would consider mental illness less mitigating for sex offenders, would be less likely to support the mental health treatment of sex offenders while incarcerated, and would consider certain mental illnesses (schizophrenia and substance abuse disorders) as particularly aggravating for this group of offenders. Respondents were asked to read a short vignette and then respond to a series of questions about culpability, sentencing decisions, and mental …

Contributors To And Correlates Of Loneliness In Lung Cancer Patients, Kelly A. Hyland

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background

Loneliness, or the perceived discrepancy between the quantity and quality of ones’ actual social relationships and desired level of connectedness, is a potentially important psychosocial factor in lung cancer patients. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship of loneliness to depressive symptoms, quality of life, and social-cognitive variables and to explore the role of loneliness in mediating relationships between social-cognitive variables and depressive symptoms and quality of life. Finally, the study examined whether loneliness predicted change over time in depressive symptoms and quality of life.

Methods

Lung cancer patients were recruited from the Moffitt Cancer …

The Relationship Between The Hearing Distressing Voices Simulation And Changes In Empathy Among Master’S Students In Counseling, Jeffrey G. Strozier

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the hearing distressing voices simulation training, Developing Empathy for the Lived Experience of Psychiatric Disability: A Simulation of Hearing Distressing Voices (HDVS), developed by Patricia E. Deegan, Ph.D., will affect counseling students’ empathy for clients diagnosed with schizophrenia, as measured by the Jefferson Scale of Empathy – Health Professions Students version (JSE-HPS). The experimental design was a quasi-experimental, one-group, pre-test/ post-test, and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy – Health Professions Students version was used to measure empathy. A total of 55 participants were drawn from a convenience sample of …

The Role Of Attachment In Experiences Of Affiliate Stigma Among Parents Of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Individuals, Christina Mastropaolo

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parents of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals’ attachment styles and their experiences of LGB affiliate stigma associated with having an LGB child. It was hypothesized that higher levels of anxious and/or avoidant attachment, as measured by the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR; Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998), would predict higher levels of LGB affiliate stigma, as measured by the LGB Affiliate Stigma Measure (LGB-ASM; Robinson & Brewster, 2016). A sample of 87 self-identified parents of LGB individuals completed the ECR and LGB-ASM. Utilizing multiple regression, results of …

Effects Of Mental Health Campaigns, Susan Schott

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

This project examines the effects of a mental health campaign on college students. This is important to research because universities and colleges alike need to understand the effects that campaigns about mental health on campus can have on students. I researched this by conducting an online experimental study on a sample of 511 students at a university in the Mid-Atlantic region. Qualtrics randomly assigned the participants into two groups, where one group viewed an experimental campaign and the other a control ad. The participants were measured using a post- test questionnaire which tested their self-perceptions of anxiety and level of …

Invisible Dis/Abilities: To Disclose Or Not Disclose?, Julia Roma Broderick

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 56.7 million people currently live with a disability in the United States (United States Census Bureau, 2012). Many of these disabilities are invisible to others, which make disclosure necessary to gain support. Through the analysis of open-ended questionnaires, I investigated disclosure decision-making factors and outcomes for individuals living with invisible disabilities. Factors considered for disclosure included: (a) support; (b) fear of negative response; (c) perceived appropriateness; and (d) no choice or perceived obligation. Disclosure outcomes included: (a) relief; (b) closeness in relationship; (c) loss of relationship; (d) differential treatment; and (e) no change or negative outcome. Theoretically, the findings …

Determining The Physical And Social Barriers That Prevent Food-Insecure Students At The University Of Arkansas From Using The Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Campus Food Pantry, Sarah Elizabeth Yanniello

Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine the reasons why 38% of the students at the University of Arkansas experience food insecurity, yet only 1% of students have used the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Campus Food Pantry, in hopes to provide a guide to the Center for Community Engagement in their endeavors to reduce food insecurity on campus (Lisnic, 2016). An online survey was created using Qualtrics software, was submitted to and approved by the University of Arkansas Institutional Review Board, and was distributed to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Arkansas. The sample size …

Illusory Correlation And Perceived Criminality., Rachel A. Carter

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses

Illusory correlation is the false perception that a relationship exists between two variables. Previous studies have shown that people sometimes perceive a relationship between minority-group members and negative characteristics, when in fact, there is no informational basis for this perception. The current study investigates whether people readily perceive a relationship between criminality and minority groups, as is sometimes seen in society. Participants learned about the behaviors of members of two groups, arbitrarily labeled S and T. The ratio of positive:negative behaviors was the same for both groups (2:1). However, participants were shown fewer statements about Group T, making it a …

The Social Perception Of Three Features Of New York City English, Giacomo Castronovo Jr.

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Since the late 19^th Century, the accent particular to New Yorker City natives of European descent has been negatively perceived by both the American general public and the speakers themselves. The stereotypification of New York City English speakers has largely been the cause of this negative evaluation, in that the features of the accent, as well as the unique New York discourse style, have long been utilized by actors and comedians to create characters of uneducated, uncultured provenance, as well as, all too often, unscrupulous behavior. Thus, the features of European-American New York City English appear to be inextricably …

Constructing Illness: How Society Effects Physical And Mental Illness, Madeline Marks

Honors Theses

The social construction of illness has become one of the central themes in medical sociology over the last fifty years. This field of research focuses on how society and an individual’s knowledge and experiences shape the way they understand and view certain physical and mental illnesses. Prior research has found that many people hold stigmatized views towards individuals who suffer from mental illnesses and tend to feel more sympathetic and supportive towards those who have physical illnesses. These previous studies have found that gender, age, race, education and socioeconomic status are factors that influence how a person perceives physical and …

Clandestino: Latino Youth And Mental Health And Art As An Outlet For One’S Emotions, Jessica Dealmeida

Community Engagement Student Work

According to Lawrence Public Schools (2017), 64.9% of students are economically disadvantaged, meaning that many of these students may not be receiving the mental health treatment they need. For this project, a facilitate discussion on mental health and art as an outlet for one’s emotions occurred at Elevated Thought, a youth and social justice organization in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Altogether, the discussion brought up four themes: 1) Community & Institutions, 2) Lack of Access, 3) Mistrust & Stigma, 4) Art & Self. Through creative dialogue, the youth involved successfully reflected on their understanding of mental health, the stigma behind it, and …

Examining Stigma Among Preservice Teachers Following The Completion Of A Mental Health Literacy Course, Nella Cautillo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research examined whether a mental health literacy course for preservice teachers reduced mental health stigma and whether there were any meaningful differences in stigma based on gender, BEd program, previous degree, and previous learning about mental health. Preservice teachers from X University participated in a mental health literacy course for ten weeks, which involved education about various topics related to mental health. The teachers were asked to complete a pre-test (N=263) at the start of the course, which included an Opening Minds Stigma Scale (Modgill, Patten, Knaak, Kassam, & Szeto, 2014), measuring mental health stigma. Similarly, the teachers were …

Barriers And Facilitators To Positive Mental Health On A University Campus, Sheldon Hill

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The prevalence of mental health concerns among university students is well-documented and students accessing campus supports appear to be increasing. The objective of the current study was to gain a holistic and thorough perspective of the facilitators and barriers affecting positive mental health from the undergraduate student perspective. Data collected via an online form asked students about their current perspectives of mental health at an institutional level. A thematic analysis was performed and four overall themes were identified: trust in and quality of services, validation of mental health concerns, institutional procedures and environment, and stigma. The various themes and factors …

Mental Disorders As Brain Disorders: The Impact On Stigma Of Neuroscience-Based Mental Health Education, Katherine Tighe

Honors Theses

Stigmatization of mental illness is undoubtedly detrimental to those with mental health concerns as it limits employment, self-esteem and social support (Markowitz, 1998). In effort to combat the issue of stigma, previous research has evaluated the effectiveness of education as a method to reduce stigma in a college sample; finding that peer-led presentations are effective in reducing stigma (Kosyluk et al., 2016). The current study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of neuroscience-oriented presentation for reducing the stigma of mental illness among college students. Researchers asked 53 Union College students to complete seven-item Social Distance Scale (SDS; Penn et al., 1994) …

Perceived Stigma And Barriers To Mental Health Care Among Former Military Service Members, Anna R. Z. Mastapha

Theses and Dissertations--Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology

Former United States military members have consistently faced mental health concerns post discharge from the military. Some researchers have argued that the use of mental health services by veterans does not parallel the prevalence and need of such services (Hoge, Castro, Messer, McGurk, Cotting, & Koffman, 2004; Milliken, Auchterlonie, & Hoge, 2007; Vogt, 2011). Reasons why veterans do not access mental health care are varied and broad, however, they tend to be consistent with explanations rooted in the stigma of mental health care, and in the barriers that prevent the use of mental health care. The degree of the impact …

'At Least You're Not Neurotypical': Social Barriers To Mental Health At Oberlin College, Charis Justine Stanek

Honors Papers

Previous research shows that mental health issues often manifest in the late teens and early twenties, the age of many college students (Kessler et al., 2007). This report is a case study about mental illness at Oberlin College. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the subculture of Oberlin may incentivize students to maintain their identity with mental illness. Three hundred and eighty-four Oberlin students were surveyed about their perception of conversations around mental illness and behaviors of mentally ill students at Oberlin. In fifty semi-structured interviews, students were asked to elaborate on how they came …

Sexual Assault Stigmatization, Secrecy, And Avoidance: Implications For Health-Injurious Processes And Outcomes, Sheri E. Pegram

Wayne State University Dissertations

Previous research shows that women often experience stigmatization following sexual assau#60; however, few studies have investigated mechanisms through which stigmatization adversely affects health. In Study 1, women (N = 974) completed an online survey which assessed their history of sexual assault, stigmatization, recovery processes, and health outcomes. Results partially supported theoretical models whereby sexual assault survivors’ stigmatizing social reactions and internalized stigmatization indirectly contributed to physical health symptoms, hazardous drinking, and disordered eating through effects on secrecy, avoidance coping, thought suppression, and depressive symptoms. In Study 2, sexual assault survivors (N = 400) completed an online experimental study and were …