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THE INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURAL STIGMA ON MENTAL ILLNESS: STATE LEVEL STRUCTURAL STIGMA AND ATTITUDES TOWARD TREATMENT SEEKING AND QUALITY OF LIFE

Van Horn, Struther L
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1556276082580829

Abstract Details

2019, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology.
The literature on mental illness stigma is expansive, however the bulk of research has focused on cultural and personal level factors such as perceptions of public attitudes toward stigmatized individuals and discrimination experiences. One aspect of stigma research that remains understudied is structural stigma. Structural stigma considers the ways in which larger social structures and cultural contexts can impact understandings of mental illness. Macro level factors, such as institutional policies and investment in public resources, play an important role in shaping public attitudes towards mental illness. Public attitudes in turn can influence the internalization process of the stigmatized identity. As such, structural stigma may play a pivotal role in the stigma process. In this dissertation, I examine the relationships among structural stigma (e.g., restrictive legislation, health care policies, media campaigns), cultural stigma (e.g., public perceptions of mental illness) and personal stigma (e.g., experienced discrimination and internalized stigma) for individuals who identify as having a mental illness. The first goal of my research was to examine the relationship between structural stigma and well-being among individuals who identify as having mental health problems, focusing specifically on two central outcome measures in stigma research: quality of life and attitudes towards seeking mental health treatment. The second goal of this research was to examine the relationships between structural stigma and more commonly examined types of stigma including cultural stigma and personal stigma. Data for this study come from several sources. I conducted a web-based survey to examine cultural and personal level stigma, as well as quality of life and attitudes toward treatment seeking. To assess structural stigma, I used several secondary data sources which were then combined with the web-based survey in order to simultaneously examine multiple levels of stigma. Results from the study show that higher levels of structural stigma were associated with lower quality of life as well as negative attitudes towards the treatment of the mentally ill in communities. Supplemental analyses revealed that restrictive legislation was the most influential structural stigma measure in my study. Contrary to expectations, structural stigma was not associated with negative attitudes toward treatment seeking or personal stigma processes. While the findings were mixed, my study suggests that researchers should continue to pursue links between structural policies, community attitudes, and individual outcomes for individuals with mental illness. The study also raises questions for future research that seeks to integrate structural stigma into mental health stigma research.
Kristen Marcussen (Advisor)
Richard Adams (Committee Member)
Richard Serpe (Committee Member)
Jeffery Ciesla (Committee Member)
141 p.
Mental Health; Sociology
Mental Illness; Stigma; Structural Stigma; Quality of Life

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Van Horn, S. L. (2019). THE INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURAL STIGMA ON MENTAL ILLNESS: STATE LEVEL STRUCTURAL STIGMA AND ATTITUDES TOWARD TREATMENT SEEKING AND QUALITY OF LIFE [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1556276082580829

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Van Horn, Struther. THE INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURAL STIGMA ON MENTAL ILLNESS: STATE LEVEL STRUCTURAL STIGMA AND ATTITUDES TOWARD TREATMENT SEEKING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. 2019. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1556276082580829.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Van Horn, Struther. "THE INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURAL STIGMA ON MENTAL ILLNESS: STATE LEVEL STRUCTURAL STIGMA AND ATTITUDES TOWARD TREATMENT SEEKING AND QUALITY OF LIFE." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1556276082580829

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.