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The Development of a Measure of Public Stigma Towards Adults With Autism
Title
The Development of a Measure of Public Stigma Towards Adults With Autism
Creator
Beedle, Robert Brian
Date
2022
Description
Adults with autism (AwA) report experiences of stigma and discrimination. Yet, quantitative research suggests that public attitudes are...
Show moreAdults with autism (AwA) report experiences of stigma and discrimination. Yet, quantitative research suggests that public attitudes are relatively benign. This research discrepancy is compounded by the present lack of a stakeholder-informed, theoretically-guided measure of the stigma towards AwA. The objective of the present study was to develop a measure of stigma towards AwA following best practices survey methodology. First, existing related measures were reviewed for possible candidate items, yielding 36 draft questions related to the stigma of AwA. Next, seven stakeholders in the AwA community were recruited to provide feedback on their experiences of stigma and discrimination, as well as feedback on the draft items. Following stakeholder feedback, draft items were edited, added, or removed based on feedback from the participants with AwA and their lived experiences, resulting in a revised measure of 51 candidate items. Finally, these 51 items underwent a quantitative phase with participants recruited through MTurk (N = 357). Exploratory factor analyses were conducted in order to generate a data driven factor structure that reflected stigma theory. The end result was a 20-item, four factor solution measuring numerous components of stigma within factors including cognitive components of stigma, blame, positive and negative affect, and comfort with close contact. The resulting measurement tool was titled the Public Stigma towards Adults with Autism Scale (PSAWA) and demonstrated strong psychometric properties. The tool has utility for further studying stigma towards AwA and assessing stigma interventions.
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Self-Stigma, Disclosure, and Care-Seeking in People with Self-Reported Mental Illness
Title
Self-Stigma, Disclosure, and Care-Seeking in People with Self-Reported Mental Illness
Creator
Shah, Binoy Biren
Date
2023
Description
Objective: The longstanding mental illness treatment gap has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. One reason for this is the self...
Show moreObjective: The longstanding mental illness treatment gap has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. One reason for this is the self-stigma of mental illness, which has been shown to decrease care-seeking. This study aims to better understand the relationships between self-stigma and care-seeking by identifying novel mediators of this relationship. Method: A sample of 125 individuals with mental health difficulties, obtained from MTurk, completed measures of self-stigma, disclosure, care-seeking. Self-stigma was conceptualized as a distal antecedent to disclosure, and novel proximal antecedents of disclosure (i.e., approach goals, avoidance goals, and the “Why Try?” effect) were unpacked. Hypotheses were tested in steps via path analysis. Results: We found partial evidence to support our model of self-stigma. Disclosure did not mediate the relationship between self-stigma and care-seeking. Findings regarding proximal antecedents of disclosure were mixed. Conclusion: Results should be interpreted with caution due to data quality concerns. Additional research is needed to better understand how self-stigma impacts disclosure. This line of inquiry has noteworthy implications for research, policy, and clinical practice.
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