Stigmatization of people with mental illness – a matter of milieu-specific worldviews? Results from a population-based survey in Germany
BackgroundDespite numerous awareness campaigns and anti-stigma programs, people with mental illness, particularly schizophrenia, are still stigmatized. Although the society is both cause and solution, societal-level conditions, such as society’s customs and policies that legitimize and perpetuate st...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1501194/full |
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| author | Jenny Spahlholz Eva Baumann Sven Speerforck Sven Speerforck Christian Sander Christian Sander Matthias C. Angermeyer Georg Schomerus Georg Schomerus |
| author_facet | Jenny Spahlholz Eva Baumann Sven Speerforck Sven Speerforck Christian Sander Christian Sander Matthias C. Angermeyer Georg Schomerus Georg Schomerus |
| author_sort | Jenny Spahlholz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundDespite numerous awareness campaigns and anti-stigma programs, people with mental illness, particularly schizophrenia, are still stigmatized. Although the society is both cause and solution, societal-level conditions, such as society’s customs and policies that legitimize and perpetuate stigmatization is often neglected. We used a milieu approach to investigate how shared social, cultural and political orientations and expectations are associated with manifestations of the mental-illness related stigma.MethodsWe analyzed cross-sectional data from 3,042 adults aged ≥18 years from a national vignette-based representative survey on the stigma of mental illness in Germany from 2020. For milieu classification, we used an established population segmentation tool based on values and political preferences. Two stigma measures associated with the stereotype and status loss/discrimination components were assessed (i.e., the Social Distance Scale and a list of well-known stereotypes associated with depression or schizophrenia). Descriptive analyses and one-way ANOVAs with post-hoc pairwise contrasts between milieu groups were used to evaluate agreement on stereotypes and the desire for social distance towards people with depression or schizophrenia.ResultsNegative stereotypes about people with a depression (i.e., beliefs about being weak-willed) and schizophrenia (i.e., beliefs about dangerousness) tended to be more common in milieu groups leaning more toward the authoritarian pole. Milieu groups with a more liberal attitude on the socio-cultural dimension further expressed a lower desire for social distance towards people with depression (p<0.001). However, the extent of differentiation between the milieu groups was less pronounced regarding the desire for social distance towards people with schizophrenia than towards people with depression.ConclusionOur findings suggest that socio-cultural and socioeconomic dimensions of the society can be used for both describing heterogeneous societies and illuminating the underlying social structure of stigma. In addition to making blind spots more visible (i.e., schizophrenia), milieu-specific knowledge could be useful in deciding which intervention components are most appropriate for which milieu groups and how to apply them successfully. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dfe0a6f303c04fe89ceb921a3c311693 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-dfe0a6f303c04fe89ceb921a3c3116932025-01-28T06:41:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-01-011510.3389/fpsyt.2024.15011941501194Stigmatization of people with mental illness – a matter of milieu-specific worldviews? Results from a population-based survey in GermanyJenny Spahlholz0Eva Baumann1Sven Speerforck2Sven Speerforck3Christian Sander4Christian Sander5Matthias C. Angermeyer6Georg Schomerus7Georg Schomerus8Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Faculty, Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Journalism and Communication Research, Hanover University of Music, Drama, and Media, Hanover, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Faculty, Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Faculty, Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, GermanyCenter for Public Mental Health, Gösing am Wagram, AustriaDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Faculty, Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, GermanyBackgroundDespite numerous awareness campaigns and anti-stigma programs, people with mental illness, particularly schizophrenia, are still stigmatized. Although the society is both cause and solution, societal-level conditions, such as society’s customs and policies that legitimize and perpetuate stigmatization is often neglected. We used a milieu approach to investigate how shared social, cultural and political orientations and expectations are associated with manifestations of the mental-illness related stigma.MethodsWe analyzed cross-sectional data from 3,042 adults aged ≥18 years from a national vignette-based representative survey on the stigma of mental illness in Germany from 2020. For milieu classification, we used an established population segmentation tool based on values and political preferences. Two stigma measures associated with the stereotype and status loss/discrimination components were assessed (i.e., the Social Distance Scale and a list of well-known stereotypes associated with depression or schizophrenia). Descriptive analyses and one-way ANOVAs with post-hoc pairwise contrasts between milieu groups were used to evaluate agreement on stereotypes and the desire for social distance towards people with depression or schizophrenia.ResultsNegative stereotypes about people with a depression (i.e., beliefs about being weak-willed) and schizophrenia (i.e., beliefs about dangerousness) tended to be more common in milieu groups leaning more toward the authoritarian pole. Milieu groups with a more liberal attitude on the socio-cultural dimension further expressed a lower desire for social distance towards people with depression (p<0.001). However, the extent of differentiation between the milieu groups was less pronounced regarding the desire for social distance towards people with schizophrenia than towards people with depression.ConclusionOur findings suggest that socio-cultural and socioeconomic dimensions of the society can be used for both describing heterogeneous societies and illuminating the underlying social structure of stigma. In addition to making blind spots more visible (i.e., schizophrenia), milieu-specific knowledge could be useful in deciding which intervention components are most appropriate for which milieu groups and how to apply them successfully.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1501194/fullstigmadepressionschizophreniamental illnessmilieu |
| spellingShingle | Jenny Spahlholz Eva Baumann Sven Speerforck Sven Speerforck Christian Sander Christian Sander Matthias C. Angermeyer Georg Schomerus Georg Schomerus Stigmatization of people with mental illness – a matter of milieu-specific worldviews? Results from a population-based survey in Germany Frontiers in Psychiatry stigma depression schizophrenia mental illness milieu |
| title | Stigmatization of people with mental illness – a matter of milieu-specific worldviews? Results from a population-based survey in Germany |
| title_full | Stigmatization of people with mental illness – a matter of milieu-specific worldviews? Results from a population-based survey in Germany |
| title_fullStr | Stigmatization of people with mental illness – a matter of milieu-specific worldviews? Results from a population-based survey in Germany |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stigmatization of people with mental illness – a matter of milieu-specific worldviews? Results from a population-based survey in Germany |
| title_short | Stigmatization of people with mental illness – a matter of milieu-specific worldviews? Results from a population-based survey in Germany |
| title_sort | stigmatization of people with mental illness a matter of milieu specific worldviews results from a population based survey in germany |
| topic | stigma depression schizophrenia mental illness milieu |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1501194/full |
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