School of Psychology, Trinity Research in Childhood Centre, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jul 28;17(15):5415. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17155415.
Stigma, comprising negative stereotypes, prejudice (negative affective reactions) and discrimination towards a member of a particular group, is of increasing interest in the context of mental illness. However, studies examining clinical anxiety stigma are lacking, particularly with regard to generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). There is also a lack of research into adolescent anxiety stigma, despite adolescence being a key period for early intervention for anxiety disorders, and research showing that stigma has been implicated in low rates of help-seeking and problematic peer relationships among adolescents with mental illness. Stigma has also been negatively associated with help-giving responses toward those with mental illness. Initial studies suggest that the 'weak-not-sick' (WNS) stereotype may be central to anxiety stigma. The present study aims to examine the endorsement of the WNS stereotype in the context of GAD, and its relationship to prejudice, discrimination, and help-giving responses among adolescents. A vignette-based survey measure was completed by 242 adolescents (74 male, 165 female, and three participants who recorded their gender as "other") in Ireland aged between 15 and 19 years. The results of the study found that endorsement of the WNS stereotype was significantly associated with higher prejudice and discrimination, as well as lower levels of help-giving intentions. A multiple mediator model is presented showing both a direct relationship between endorsement of WNS and help-giving, and an indirect relationship between WNS and help-giving mediated by the prejudicial components of anger, fear and pity, and discrimination as assessed by desired social distance. This study adds to the limited knowledge base on stigma towards GAD in adolescents and provides a model for how anxiety stigma may relate to help-giving. This has implications for interventions to reduce stigmatising and increase help-giving responses.
污名化包括对特定群体成员的负面刻板印象、偏见（负面情感反应）和歧视，在精神疾病背景下越来越受到关注。然而，目前缺乏针对临床焦虑症污名的研究，特别是针对广泛性焦虑症（GAD）的研究。此外，尽管青少年是焦虑症早期干预的关键时期，而且研究表明，污名与青少年精神疾病患者寻求帮助的意愿较低和同伴关系问题有关，但针对青少年焦虑症污名的研究也很少。污名化也与对精神病患者的帮助意愿呈负相关。初步研究表明，“弱而非病”（WNS）刻板印象可能是焦虑症污名的核心。本研究旨在探讨 GAD 背景下 WNS 刻板印象的认可程度，以及其与青少年偏见、歧视和帮助意愿之间的关系。一项基于情景的调查测量由爱尔兰 15 至 19 岁的 242 名青少年（74 名男性，165 名女性，还有三名参与者记录自己的性别为“其他”）完成。研究结果发现，对 WNS 刻板印象的认可与更高的偏见和歧视显著相关，同时也与帮助意愿降低有关。提出了一个多重中介模型，表明对 WNS 的认可与帮助意愿之间存在直接关系，以及 WNS 与帮助意愿之间通过愤怒、恐惧和怜悯的偏见成分以及通过期望的社会距离评估的歧视之间的间接关系。本研究增加了对青少年广泛性焦虑症污名的有限知识基础，并提供了一个焦虑症污名如何与帮助意愿相关的模型。这对减少污名化和增加帮助意愿的干预措施具有重要意义。
