Stigma. The concept of stigma is highly prevalent in the South Asian community. A survey conducted on South Asian students enrolled in Ohio (N=185) discovered that 88.6% did not consult a health care provider for psychological issues in the past year and 95.1% have never consulted a health care provider for psychological (mental and/or emotional) issues (Atri, Sharma, & Xxxxxxxx, 2007). Furthermore, South Asian families tend to take on caregiver burdens by hiding family members with severe mental health issues in their homes. This is due to stigma and cultural perceptions of family honor, shame, moral responsibility, and lack of cultural acceptance of biomedical approaches to mental health wellness treatment (Marrow and Xxxxxxxx, 2012). Asian Americans are less willing to report their problems and express them to the public due to feelings of shame and stigma (Xxxxx & Xxx, 2001). South Asian students generally report negative attitudes towards seeking psychological help, which is likely due to stigma and shame associated with mental disorders and psychological help-seeking among South Asians (Soorkia, Xxxxxxx, & Swami, 2011). Young adult South Asian college students reported higher self- stigmatization among associates of the students, towards moderate symptoms of depression compared to their Caucasian counterparts (Xxxxxx-Xxxxx & Xxxxx, 2017; Mak & Xxxxxx, 2008). For South Asian American students, it was shown that education about the causes of mental illness in conjunction with personal experiences with mental health had the strongest impact on stigma reduction (Xxxxxx-Xxxxx & Xxxxx, 2017). Due to there being barriers to the underutilization of mental health wellness services and supports, and that South Asian students have a large underutilization of mental health wellness services and supports, it is key to understand how to overcome these barriers when developing programs for mental health wellness needs. Overview of cultural mental health wellness organizations and programs In the United States there are currently only a few mental health wellness organizations dedicated towards South Asians. Some of these organizations include MannMukti (a social media storytelling nonprofit and platform that normalizes and discusses mental health issues across the nation), MySahana (a nonprofit based in California dedicated to spreading awareness about mental health issues), and South Asian Mental Health Initiative & Network (a nonprofit based in New Jersey that was create...
Stigma. In this paper, stigma is referred to as the negative perceptions of societal beliefs (stereotypes), feelings (prejudice), and behaviors (discrimination) toward individuals with mental illness, as well as the process whereby individuals with mental illness judge themselves (Fox et al, 2018; Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxx, 2008).
Stigma. Stigma associated with mental illness has been identified as the most significant and pervasive barrier within the African American community, discouraging those in need of mental health services from seeking treatment (Xxxx et al, 2009; Xxxxx & Ford, 2004). In this paper, stigma is referred to as the negative perceptions of societal beliefs (stereotypes), feelings (prejudice), and behaviors (discrimination) toward individuals with mental illness, as well as the process whereby individuals with mental illness judge themselves (Fox et al, 2018; Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxx, 2008). In the early 1980s, a study found that African Americans, more than any other racial/ethnic group, held the most pervasive negative attitudes toward persons with mental illness (Xxxx et al, 2009). A public opinion poll in the 1990s showed that 63% of African Americans believed that depression was a personal weakness and only 31% believed it was a real health problem (Xxxx et al, 2009). Later research found that in the African American community, mental illness is associated with shame and embarrassment, and both affected individuals and their families hide their illness (Xxxxxxxx et al, 2004). Consequences associated with the stigma of mental illness among African Americans include social distance or rejection, loss of relationships, loss of social or “normal” status, and the appearance of being weak (Xxxxxxxx et al, 2006; Mishra, 2009).
Stigma. In the United States today, there is an immense amount of stigma associated with having a disability (NCD, 2012; Rohwerder, 2018). A commonly held misconception about individuals with disabilities is the belief that they are not able to participate in normal activities and cannot contribute to society in a meaningful way (Rohwerder, 2018). These individuals may also be seen as helpless and unable to care for themselves or others (NCD, 2012). Furthermore, people with disabilities are not perceived as being able to have children nor nurture them as they grow up (Xxxxxx, 2000; Xxxxxxxxx, 2018). The stigma associated with having a disability can greatly affect how they raise their children. Parents with disabilities face stigma in almost every aspect of their lives and as a result can struggle to adequately perform their parenting duties (NCD, 2012; Xxxxxx et al., 2020; Xxxxxxxxx, 2018). In a scoping review of qualitative literature concerning parents with disabilities, Xxxxxx et al., (2020) found that this population is less likely to take their children out in public for fear of judgement and discrimination. Not only does having a disability affect the activities a parent engages in with their child, but it can also change their perception of who they are as a parent. Individuals with disabilities must monitor their health and participate in self-care to manage their condition. For parents, this may take away time from caring for their children and make them seem like a bad parent in the eyes of society (Xxxxxx et al., 2018).
Stigma. Social exclusion and self-isolation are both markers of stigma, the former indicating that one is actively being stigmatized and the latter, that one fears being stigmatized or has internalized the stigma. Many of the women with trichiasis spoke about ways in which they had been stigmatized: being called names; being excluded from participating in activities, such as sharing a plate of food or eye xxxx; needing to travel to a different village to be epilated; and being considered worthless as a marriage partner. This is contrary to Xxxxxxxx et al.’s study in India (2006), which stated that trichiasis did not make trichiasis patients social outcasts and there was no social stigma attached to it. In the present study, some women did not report being the object of stigma, and in cases where they had been, there were no reports of remaining stigmatized after surgery. It is unclear whether this is tied to the severity of the disease, the social status of the woman, or other factors. Trichiasis may be viewed differently in India than in Niger; alternately, the instrument did not ask the correct questions to elicit this information. Epidemiological research has demonstrated that decreased social integration can have deleterious effects on health. One of the best documented effects is increased risk of mortality. A review of the relationship between social integration and health illustrates that a number of studies in a variety of settings have shown that the relationship between decreased integration and increased mortality are independent of other measures of health status and socioeconomic status (Xxxxxx, 1996). Many studies have also shown that increased social integration has a protective effect against mental health problems, such as depression and psychological distress (Xxxx, Xxxxxxxx- XxXxxxx, & Xxxxxxxx, 1989). Social integration has also been shown to indirectly affect health as well. First, integration fosters positive self-esteem, which leads to increased health. Second, it can influence health behavior, including treatment seeking, and increases access to health-related resources. Finally, having social ties can lead to increased support in times of need (Xxxx, et al., 1989). One of the main barriers to surgery identified in this study was the lack of a caretaker following surgery. Women experiencing this barrier may not be as well connected and may become even less so when they are not able to go about their normal activities as a result of trichias...
Stigma. In the Southern United States, abortion is a highly contentious and stigmatized area of medicine. By extension of their crucial role in abortion service and delivery, abortion providers are often highly stigmatized, not only within the general population but also within or by the medical community. This was strongly reflected in the findings of this study as well in each of the challenges that the current providers and the medical students shared. Abortion providers’ experiences of being “in the closet” with their families and communities, and the subsequent consequences of their choice of or forced disclosure of their profession, was representative of the stigmas that exist toward abortion professionals in the South. A provider commented on this phenomenon, saying – “There’s little space for me to publicly discuss without risk of violence or being ostracized. I have a mental screening process that I use before I tell anyone what I do”. – Abortion Provider Another provider shared that she was asked to “go somewhere elsewhere once my Church found out”, exemplifying the community-level stigma that is regarded to be prevalent in the South. Providers also struggled with whether choosing to maintain privacy around their profession served to perpetuate their stigmatization by reinforcing community perceptions that abortion providers are “immoral” and “illegitimate.” In choosing self-censorship to avoid stigma and harassment, providers claimed that they experienced adverse consequences to their mental and emotional health, such as stress and anxiety. Abortion providers reported experiencing stigma and discrimination even within their workplaces and the medical profession in general. Many described instances of being “shut out from institutions” and facing “discrimination by credentialing committees”. Challenges of organizational barriers and professional development, such as limited training opportunities, lack of support for abortion in institutional policies, non-protective hiring practices etc. are reflective of a general neglect of the professional needs of abortion providers. Some providers interviewed shared examples of interactions with other medical staff such as “other doctors don’t want to share their waiting rooms” and “nurses just weren’t willing to help with scheduling” that were indicative of the stigmatization of providers and abortion patients within institutions. Two of the providers interviewed discussed facing additional stigma from their medic...
Stigma. You cannot refuse to hire someone on the grounds that, in your judgment, they may not be accepted by customers, clients, or co-workers because of a deformity, disability, race, height, weight, sex, or age.
