Self-Stigma vs. Perceived Public Stigma Toward Mental Illness in Rural Adults
Introduction: Mental illness is a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior. Stigma toward mental health comes in two primary forms: Self-stigma and perceived public stigma. Purpose: The objective of this study is to quantify the amount o...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of Regional Medical Campuses |
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| Online Access: | https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/jrmc/article/view/5938 |
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| author | Brent McCreary Robin Danek Ellen Ireland Eric Reyes |
| author_facet | Brent McCreary Robin Danek Ellen Ireland Eric Reyes |
| author_sort | Brent McCreary |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction:
Mental illness is a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior. Stigma toward mental health comes in two primary forms: Self-stigma and perceived public stigma.
Purpose: The objective of this study is to quantify the amount of stigma toward mental illness in rural adults and analyze differences in stigma across demographic groups.
Methods: Adults were offered a 14-item questionnaire at five different sites from January 2023 to April 2023. Rural distinctions were made based on participants' reported county of residence following the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) definition of rurality. Demographic information such as age, gender, marital status, total household income, and highest level of education were also obtained.
Results: Rural adults experience mild amounts of self-stigma (14.52 +/- 5.0) and moderate amounts of perceived public stigma (18.4 +/- 4.3). Adults aged 46-65 experience more significant levels of perceived public stigma when compared to those of younger participants. An inverse relationship exists between the highest level of education and self-stigma towards mental illness. Seventy two percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “In general, others believe that having a mental illness is a sign of personal weakness or inadequacy.”
Conclusions: This study demonstrates that perceived public stigma toward mental illness presents a significant barrier to care for mental illness. Adults aged 46-65 are especially vulnerable to the perceived public stigma toward mental illness. To provide the largest benefit to rural populations, anti-stigma campaigns should focus on perceived public stigma among adults aged 46-65.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-56c33e898be84f56b5ea2bc860117863 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2576-5558 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Regional Medical Campuses |
| spelling | doaj-art-56c33e898be84f56b5ea2bc8601178632025-08-20T01:47:49ZengUniversity of Minnesota Libraries PublishingJournal of Regional Medical Campuses2576-55582024-10-017310.24926/jrmc.v7i3.5938Self-Stigma vs. Perceived Public Stigma Toward Mental Illness in Rural AdultsBrent McCreary0Robin Danek1Ellen Ireland2Eric Reyes3Indiana University School of MedicineIndiana University School of MedicineIndiana University School of MedicineRose-Hulman Introduction: Mental illness is a clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior. Stigma toward mental health comes in two primary forms: Self-stigma and perceived public stigma. Purpose: The objective of this study is to quantify the amount of stigma toward mental illness in rural adults and analyze differences in stigma across demographic groups. Methods: Adults were offered a 14-item questionnaire at five different sites from January 2023 to April 2023. Rural distinctions were made based on participants' reported county of residence following the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) definition of rurality. Demographic information such as age, gender, marital status, total household income, and highest level of education were also obtained. Results: Rural adults experience mild amounts of self-stigma (14.52 +/- 5.0) and moderate amounts of perceived public stigma (18.4 +/- 4.3). Adults aged 46-65 experience more significant levels of perceived public stigma when compared to those of younger participants. An inverse relationship exists between the highest level of education and self-stigma towards mental illness. Seventy two percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “In general, others believe that having a mental illness is a sign of personal weakness or inadequacy.” Conclusions: This study demonstrates that perceived public stigma toward mental illness presents a significant barrier to care for mental illness. Adults aged 46-65 are especially vulnerable to the perceived public stigma toward mental illness. To provide the largest benefit to rural populations, anti-stigma campaigns should focus on perceived public stigma among adults aged 46-65. https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/jrmc/article/view/5938RuralMental IllnessSelf-StigmaPerceived Public StigmaSocial DisparitiesBarrier to care |
| spellingShingle | Brent McCreary Robin Danek Ellen Ireland Eric Reyes Self-Stigma vs. Perceived Public Stigma Toward Mental Illness in Rural Adults Journal of Regional Medical Campuses Rural Mental Illness Self-Stigma Perceived Public Stigma Social Disparities Barrier to care |
| title | Self-Stigma vs. Perceived Public Stigma Toward Mental Illness in Rural Adults |
| title_full | Self-Stigma vs. Perceived Public Stigma Toward Mental Illness in Rural Adults |
| title_fullStr | Self-Stigma vs. Perceived Public Stigma Toward Mental Illness in Rural Adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | Self-Stigma vs. Perceived Public Stigma Toward Mental Illness in Rural Adults |
| title_short | Self-Stigma vs. Perceived Public Stigma Toward Mental Illness in Rural Adults |
| title_sort | self stigma vs perceived public stigma toward mental illness in rural adults |
| topic | Rural Mental Illness Self-Stigma Perceived Public Stigma Social Disparities Barrier to care |
| url | https://pubs.lib.umn.edu/index.php/jrmc/article/view/5938 |
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