DOI: 10.5176/2251-1865_CBP18.16
Authors: John McDowall and Lucy Lightfoot
Abstract:Stigma constitutes a significant barrier to the recovery and social integration of individuals affected by mental illness. Research exploring anti-stigma initiatives primarily focus on an educational approach, with a view that accurate information will replace misconceptions and decrease stigma. Research comparing the efficacy of differing causal explanations of mental illness have yielded inconsistent results. The current study compared the efficacy of three explanations: biogenetic, psychosocial, and a novel evolutionary explanation in reducing stigma toward individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The biogenetic explanation led participants to rate the locus of causality as significantly less internal than participants in the other two conditions. No other differences in stigma were found as a function of causal explanation. Ethnic minorities were slightly less likely to react with fear and anger, and people who had contact with mental illness in the past were significantly less stigmatizing across a wide range of measures.
Keywords: Generalized Anxiety Disorder; Stigma; Stereotypes.
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