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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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Examining Associations Between Discrimination, Social Cohesion, and Health among White and POC LGBT Chicagoans
Title
Examining Associations Between Discrimination, Social Cohesion, and Health among White and POC LGBT Chicagoans
Creator
Kannout, Lynn
Date
2022
Description
Consistent with the minority stress perspective, lesbian/gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals on average report worse health than...
Show moreConsistent with the minority stress perspective, lesbian/gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals on average report worse health than heterosexual individuals in several domains, e.g., general health, mental health, physical health, and health care access. Intersectionality-based research shows that LGBT-POC are, on average, at even greater risk for adverse health outcomes compared to their White LGBT counterparts. Discrimination and social cohesion may be two mechanisms underlying these between- and within-group disparities, given their broader relations to health and their relatively high frequency within marginalized populations. This study used data from the Chicago Department of Public Health to examine broad health differences between LGBT White and LGBT-POC individuals, and to test specific mediations models in which social cohesion mediated links between discrimination and health. LGBT-POC reported experiencing worse general health, lower access to health care, more experiences of discrimination, and lower feelings of social cohesion than did White LGBT individuals. No mediation effects emerged, however there was a direct effect of experiencing discrimination on mental health distress. Further, discrimination exposure related inversely to feelings of social cohesion. Study strengths, limitations, and implications are discussed.
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