IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0235034.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Stigmatizing attitudes of Swiss youth towards peers with mental disorders

Author

Listed:
  • Michelle Dey
  • Raquel Paz Castro
  • Anthony Francis Jorm
  • Laurent Marti
  • Michael Patrick Schaub
  • Andrew Mackinnon

Abstract

Background: Previous research on public stigma towards people with mental disorders has mostly targeted adult samples and focused on depression, schizophrenia or mental disorders in general. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate predictors of stigmatizing attitudes towards different mental disorders (including less researched ones) in a representative sample of adolescents and young adults. Methods: Data from the Swiss Youth Mental Health Literacy and Stigma Survey were used (analytical sample: n = 4,932). Each participant was randomly presented with one of five vignettes (depression; alcohol abuse; depression and alcohol abuse combined; schizophrenia; social anxiety). The structure of stigmatizing attitudes was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. Regression models, implemented within a structural equation framework, were used to study predictors for the identified latent variables. Results: A three-factor model for stigmatizing attitudes–consisting of ‘dangerous/unpredictable’, ‘weak-no-sick’, and ‘social distance’ factors–best fitted the data. Female gender was associated with less stigmatizing attitudes. Associations in opposite directions with different latent factors were found for educational and migration background. Exposure to mental disorders (being personally affected, personally having received professional help or knowing someone close who has received treatment for a mental disorder) was either not or was negatively associated with stigmatizing attitudes. In contrast, current mental health symptoms (heightened levels of psychological distress, problematic alcohol use) were generally not or were positively associated with stigmatizing attitudes. Even though the included predictors had some predictive value, the variance explained by the models was rather small (the adjusted R2 varied between 0.03 and 0.26). Conclusions: The current study indicates that contact with someone who has received treatment for a mental disorder might be an important component of programs aiming to decrease stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental disorders, since this exposure variable predicted lower levels of stigmatizing attitudes. Furthermore, the findings suggest that target-group interventions for specific subgroups need to be considered, as the process leading to stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental disorders appears to differ between specific sociodemographic subgroups.

Suggested Citation

  • Michelle Dey & Raquel Paz Castro & Anthony Francis Jorm & Laurent Marti & Michael Patrick Schaub & Andrew Mackinnon, 2020. "Stigmatizing attitudes of Swiss youth towards peers with mental disorders," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-18, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0235034
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235034
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0235034
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0235034&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0235034?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. McGinty, Emma E. & Goldman, Howard H. & Pescosolido, Bernice & Barry, Colleen L., 2015. "Portraying mental illness and drug addiction as treatable health conditions: Effects of a randomized experiment on stigma and discrimination," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 73-85.
    2. Ledyard Tucker & Charles Lewis, 1973. "A reliability coefficient for maximum likelihood factor analysis," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 38(1), pages 1-10, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mark Shevlin & David Boyda & James Houston & Jamie Murphy, 2015. "Measurement of the psychosis continuum: Modelling the frequency and distress of subclinical psychotic experiences," Psychosis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 108-118, April.
    2. E. Huebner & Rich Gilman & James Laughlin, 1999. "A Multimethod Investigation of the Multidimensionality of Children's Well-Being Reports: Discriminant Validity of Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 1-22, January.
    3. Evangeline I. Chirayil & Claire L. Thompson & Sue Burney, 2014. "Predicting Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination and Pap Smear Screening Intentions Among Young Singaporean Women Using the Theory of Planned Behavior," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(4), pages 21582440145, October.
    4. Bach Quang Ho & Yuki Inoue, 2020. "Driving Network Externalities in Education for Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-16, October.
    5. Zhenhui (Jack) Jiang & Cheng Suang Heng & Ben C. F. Choi, 2013. "Research Note —Privacy Concerns and Privacy-Protective Behavior in Synchronous Online Social Interactions," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(3), pages 579-595, September.
    6. Lau, Patricia Yin Yin & Tong, Jane L.Y. Terpstra & Lien, Bella Ya-Hui & Hsu, Yen-Chen & Chong, Chooi Ling, 2017. "Ethical work climate, employee commitment and proactive customer service performance: Test of the mediating effects of organizational politics," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 20-26.
    7. Zi Jia Ng & Eugene Scott Huebner & Alberto Maydeu-Olivares & Kimberly Joy Hills, 2018. "Confirmatory Factor Analytic Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) in a Longitudinal Sample of Adolescents," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 11(4), pages 1237-1247, August.
    8. repec:plo:pone00:0217106 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Raymond Loi & Hang-Yue Ngo, 2010. "Mobility norms, risk aversion, and career satisfaction of Chinese employees," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 237-255, June.
    10. Tahia Anan Dhira & Mahir A Rahman & Abdur Razzaque Sarker & Jeenat Mehareen, 2021. "Validity and reliability of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) among university students of Bangladesh," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(12), pages 1-16, December.
    11. Anne Mäkikangas & Wilmar Schaufeli & Esko Leskinen & Ulla Kinnunen & Katriina Hyvönen & Taru Feldt, 2016. "Long-Term Development of Employee Well-Being: A Latent Transition Approach," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(6), pages 2325-2345, December.
    12. Dharm Dev Bhatta & Muddassar Sarfraz & Larisa Ivascu & Marius Pislaru, 2023. "The Nexus of Corporate Affinity for Technology and Firm Sustainable Performance in the Era of Digitalization: A Mediated Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-20, June.
    13. Rodrigo Robles-Mariños & Germán F Alvarado & Jorge L Maguiña & Juan Carlos Bazo-Alvarez, 2023. "The short-form of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS-12): Adaptation and validation of the Spanish version in young Peruvian students," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(10), pages 1-14, October.
    14. Wu, Pei-Hsun & Kao, Danny Tengti, 2011. "Goal orientation and variety seeking behavior: The role of decision task," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 65-72, February.
    15. Richard Dembo & Rhissa Briones-Robinson & Jennifer Wareham & Ken C. Winters & Rocío Ungaro & James Schmeidler, 2014. "Brief Intervention Impact on Truant Youth Attitudes to School and School Behavior Problems: A Longitudinal Study," Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 4(1), pages 163-163, May.
    16. Caterina Primi & Monica Giuli & Emanuele Baroni & Vanessa Zurkirch & Matteo Galanti & Laura Belloni & Costanza Gori & Maria Anna Donati, 2023. "The Individual- and Organization-Related Stressors in Pandemic Scale for Healthcare Workers (IOSPS-HW): Development and Psychometric Properties of a New Instrument to Assess Individual and Organizatio," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-17, February.
    17. Paulo Pereira & Fernando Santos & Daniel A. Marinho, 2024. "Validation of the Sport Motivation Scale-II: Implications for the Portuguese Youth Sport System," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(1), pages 21582440231, January.
    18. Thomas Schofield & Melissa Merrick & Chia-Feng Chen, 2016. "Reciprocal Associations between Neighborhood Context and Parent Investments: Selection Effects in Two Longitudinal Samples," Working Papers wp16-08-ff, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    19. Giovanis, Eleftherios & Ozdamar, Oznur, 2016. "The Effect of Survivors’ Benefits on Poverty and Health Status of Widowed Women: A Turkish Case Study," MPRA Paper 104047, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Román, Francisco J. & Morillo, Daniel & Estrada, Eduardo & Escorial, Sergio & Karama, Sherif & Colom, Roberto, 2018. "Brain-intelligence relationships across childhood and adolescence: A latent-variable approach," Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 21-29.
    21. Stanislav Kolenikov, 2009. "Confirmatory factor analysis using confa," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 9(3), pages 329-373, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0235034. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.