Haverfield Marie C, Theiss Jennifer A
a Department of Communication , Rutgers University.
Health Commun. 2016;31(5):606-16. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2014.981665. Epub 2015 Oct 9.
Alcoholism is a highly stigmatized condition, with both alcohol-dependent individuals and family members of the afflicted experiencing stigmatization. This study examined the severity of a parent's alcoholism and family topic avoidance about alcohol as two factors that are associated with family members' perceptions of stigma. Three dimensions of stigma were considered: discrimination stigma, disclosure stigma, and positive aspect stigma. In addition, this study assessed associations between perceived stigmatization and individuals' experiences of depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and resilience. Adult children of alcoholics (N = 622) were surveyed about family conditions, perceived stigma, and their emotional and psychological well-being. Regression analyses revealed that the severity of a parent's alcoholism predicted all three types of stigma for females, but not for males. In addition, family topic avoidance about alcohol predicted all types of stigma for males and discrimination stigma and positive aspect stigma for females. With few exceptions, the three types of stigma predicted depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and resilience for both male and female adult children of alcoholics. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for promoting a family environment that mitigates stigma and encourages emotional and psychological well-being. In 2012, approximately 3.3 million deaths worldwide were due to the harmful use of alcohol (World Health Organization [WHO], 2014). Individuals who abuse alcohol are susceptible to a variety of negative health outcomes (Rehm et al., 2009) and display inappropriate social behaviors (Klingemann, 2001; Schomerus et al., 2011a). General societal perceptions tend to characterize alcohol-dependent individuals as irresponsible and lacking in self-control (Schomerus et al., 2011b). Research in the United Kingdom found that 54% of the population believes alcohol-dependent individuals are personally to blame for their own problems (Crisp, Gelder, Goddard, & Meltzer, 2005). In the United States, a person's own bad character or the way they were raised are more likely to be identified as reasons for alcoholism than they are for other types of mental illness (Schnittker, 2008). In addition, people prefer greater social distance between themselves and alcoholics than between themselves and people with mental illness (Crisp et al., 2005). The negative social perceptions of alcoholics likely contribute to feelings of stigma (Room, 2005). Not only does stigma affect the afflicted individual, but also members of his or her family (WHO, 2014). Children of parents with an alcohol dependency may be reluctant to discuss a parent's alcoholism with others if they feel pressured to keep it a secret or to avoid negative stereotypes (Afifi & Olson, 2005; Burk & Sher, 1990; Caughlin & Petronio, 2004; Lam & O'Farrell, 2011). Thus, the stigma of a parent's alcoholism may prevent children from addressing concerns and coping with their surroundings.
酗酒是一种备受污名化的状况,酗酒者本人及其患病家庭成员都遭受着污名化。本研究考察了父母酗酒的严重程度以及家庭对酗酒话题的回避这两个与家庭成员污名感相关的因素。研究考虑了污名的三个维度:歧视性污名、披露性污名和积极方面污名。此外,本研究评估了感知到的污名与个体抑郁症状、自尊和恢复力体验之间的关联。对酗酒者的成年子女(N = 622)进行了关于家庭状况、感知到的污名以及他们的情绪和心理健康的调查。回归分析显示,父母酗酒的严重程度可预测女性的所有三种污名类型,但对男性则不然。此外,家庭对酗酒话题的回避可预测男性的所有污名类型以及女性的歧视性污名和积极方面污名。几乎无一例外,这三种污名类型可预测酗酒者成年子女(无论男女)的抑郁症状、自尊和恢复力。将根据研究结果对促进减轻污名并鼓励情绪和心理健康的家庭环境的意义进行讨论。2012年,全球约330万人的死亡归因于酒精的有害使用(世界卫生组织[WHO],2014)。酗酒者易出现各种负面健康后果(雷姆等人,2009)并表现出不当的社会行为(克林格曼,2001;朔默鲁斯等人,2011a)。一般社会认知倾向于将酗酒者描述为不负责任且缺乏自控力(朔默鲁斯等人,2011b)。英国的研究发现,54%的人口认为酗酒者个人应对自己的问题负责(克里斯普、盖尔德、戈达德和梅尔策,2005)。在美国,相较于其他类型的精神疾病,人们更倾向于将酗酒归因于个人的不良性格或成长方式(施尼特克,2008)。此外,相较于患有精神疾病的人,人们更希望与酗酒者保持更大的社交距离(克里斯普等人,2005)。对酗酒者的负面社会认知可能导致污名感(鲁姆,2005)。污名不仅影响患者本人,还会影响其家庭成员(WHO,2014)。如果父母酗酒的子女感到有压力要保守秘密或避免负面刻板印象,他们可能不愿与他人谈论父母的酗酒问题(阿菲菲和奥尔森,2005;伯克和谢尔,1990;考林和彼得罗尼奥,2004;林和奥法雷尔,2011)。因此,父母酗酒的污名可能会阻碍子女解决问题并应对周围环境。