Researchers are studying the effects of behavioral health stigma in many different contexts, with findings showing the impact that stigma has on individuals, families, communities, and the importance of negating it’s damaging effects. Below we highlight two examples of such studies: one examining how a sense of belonging can impact internalized stigma; the other examining messaging strategies around significant mental illness (SMI) and gun violence. Keep in mind though that these are only two examples- the existing research goes far beyond this!
Emily B. H. Treichler, PhD and Alicia A. Lucksted, PhD’s 2017 study The Role of Sense of Belonging in Self-Stigma among People with Serious Mental Illnesses concludes that a sense of belonging can buffer against self-stigma. Access the full article here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5831476/
“Sense of belonging can protect against self stigma. Self-stigma interventions should integrate components that improve sense of belonging, including community integration. These components should be flexible to meet the cultural context of individual consumers. ”
In 2018, the study Communicating about Mental Illness and Violence: Balancing Increased Support for Services and Stigma was published by Emma E. McGinty, PhD, MS,corresponding author Howard H. Goldman, MD, PhD, Bernice A. Pescosolido, PhD, and Colleen L. Barry, PhD, MPP. The study found that “communication strategies using narratives that emphasize systemic barriers to treatment among persons with SMI can raise public support for strengthening mental health services without increasing stigma toward this vulnerable group. These findings present a compelling alternative to stigmatizing messaging strategies that link mental illness and violence.” The full article can be accessed here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5894867/
“Moving forward, study results provide an opportunity for mental health advocates to design evidence-based communication campaigns focused on the systemic barriers to mental health treatment, and for other political actors – for example the clinicians and researchers often called upon in SMI policy debates – to disseminate messages about the systemic barriers to mental health treatment through the news media, legislative testimony, and other avenues.”