COHFA | Psychology: Completed Projects
Stigmatizing Attitudes and Trichotillomania
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Graduate
Major
Graduate Clinical Psychology
Minor
Graduate Student
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Michael Bordieri, Ph.D.
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
Stigma towards individuals with psychological disorders is causing dramatic social distancing in society. Stigmatizing attitudes include discrimination, objectifying, and dehumanizing of others (Masuda, Price, Anderson, Schmertz, and Calamaras, 2009). The project was designed to explore the influence of different disorder types on stigma including: trichotillomania (TTM), schizophrenia, and diabetes. It was hypothesized that differences in diagnoses would yield difference in stigmatizing attitudes, with greater stigma directed towards mental illness (i.e., TTM and schizophrenia) compared to a medical condition (i.e., diabetes). 121 Participants accessed the study from their own personal computer or lab computer. The first portion of the study asked participants to evaluate themselves on multiple self-report measures including: demographic questions, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) Days Mental Illness Stigma Scale (DIMM), Marlow Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS-SF), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire – Stigma (AAQ-S). The second phase of the study placed participants into randomly assigned conditions (i.e., TTM, schizophrenia, and diabetes) where the symptoms and diagnosis differed, but the degree of functional impairment and background information remained constant. After reading one of three randomly assigned vignettes participants were asked to answer questions in the six subcategories of the Familiarity with Mental Illness Level of Contact Report (Holmes, Corrigan, Williams, Canar, Kubiak, 1999).. The average age of the obtained sample was 20.33 (SD 4.83) years old, with 90% of participants identifying as female, 90% as Caucasian, and 40% as first generation college students. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) yielded a significant main effect for condition on mental illness stigma, V(12, 228) = 1.929, p = .032. Univariate ANOVA follow up analyses across the six subscales revealed a main effect of vignette condition on personal responsibility, F(2, 118) = 3.462, p = .035. No other significant effects were found. A post-hoc analysis found that the client in the Trichotillomania vignette condition was rated as significantly more personally responsible for her condition (M = 11.66, SD =2.36) compared to the schizophrenia condition (M = 10.13, SD = 3.24), p = .026. The findings from this project will help educate and prevent further stigmatizing attitudes from public and private sectors. This research will be able to identify specific facets that act as catalysts to elicit stigmatizing attitudes.
Location
Classroom 210, Waterfield Library
Start Date
November 2016
End Date
November 2016
Affiliations
Psychology: Completed Projects
Stigmatizing Attitudes and Trichotillomania
Classroom 210, Waterfield Library
Stigma towards individuals with psychological disorders is causing dramatic social distancing in society. Stigmatizing attitudes include discrimination, objectifying, and dehumanizing of others (Masuda, Price, Anderson, Schmertz, and Calamaras, 2009). The project was designed to explore the influence of different disorder types on stigma including: trichotillomania (TTM), schizophrenia, and diabetes. It was hypothesized that differences in diagnoses would yield difference in stigmatizing attitudes, with greater stigma directed towards mental illness (i.e., TTM and schizophrenia) compared to a medical condition (i.e., diabetes). 121 Participants accessed the study from their own personal computer or lab computer. The first portion of the study asked participants to evaluate themselves on multiple self-report measures including: demographic questions, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) Days Mental Illness Stigma Scale (DIMM), Marlow Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS-SF), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire – Stigma (AAQ-S). The second phase of the study placed participants into randomly assigned conditions (i.e., TTM, schizophrenia, and diabetes) where the symptoms and diagnosis differed, but the degree of functional impairment and background information remained constant. After reading one of three randomly assigned vignettes participants were asked to answer questions in the six subcategories of the Familiarity with Mental Illness Level of Contact Report (Holmes, Corrigan, Williams, Canar, Kubiak, 1999).. The average age of the obtained sample was 20.33 (SD 4.83) years old, with 90% of participants identifying as female, 90% as Caucasian, and 40% as first generation college students. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) yielded a significant main effect for condition on mental illness stigma, V(12, 228) = 1.929, p = .032. Univariate ANOVA follow up analyses across the six subscales revealed a main effect of vignette condition on personal responsibility, F(2, 118) = 3.462, p = .035. No other significant effects were found. A post-hoc analysis found that the client in the Trichotillomania vignette condition was rated as significantly more personally responsible for her condition (M = 11.66, SD =2.36) compared to the schizophrenia condition (M = 10.13, SD = 3.24), p = .026. The findings from this project will help educate and prevent further stigmatizing attitudes from public and private sectors. This research will be able to identify specific facets that act as catalysts to elicit stigmatizing attitudes.