Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Mental illness--Public opinion;

Abstract

Extensive research exists on individuals’ stigma toward mental illnesses and factors that influence the stigmatizing beliefs a person holds. One area included in this examination is an exploration of the impact that parents have on the stigmatizing beliefs held by their children. These studies have found varying levels of similarity in beliefs between parents and children. The present study attempted to elucidate the association between parents’ stigmatizing beliefs and adult children’s stigmatizing beliefs about severe mental illness. Based on survey data collected from 244 participants, this study showed a strong association between adult children and perceived parents’ beliefs. Moderators revealed a stronger relationship between sons and mothers than in other family pairs. This finding suggests that sons are more strongly influenced by their perceptions of their mother’s beliefs than their father’s and that they are more strongly influenced by those perceptions than daughters. Relationship quality did not moderate the strength of this association but the frequency of contact with parents did. Prior contact with severe mental illness also did not act as a moderator. The results of this study support a role of family dynamics in the formation of mental illness stigma; however, some factors such as higher frequency of contact with the father and a male adult child gender or female parent gender are linked to a stronger association.

Year of Submission

2022

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Psychology

First Advisor

Seth Brown, First Reader

Date Original

7-2022

Object Description

1 PDF file (ix, 109 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Download

Comments?

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS