Cultural perspectives central to understanding stigma

Integrating Māori and Pacific attitudes toward mental illness into health campaigns may result in a less judgmental Aotearoa New Zealand, a University of Otago–Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka-led study has found.

Published in Kotuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, the study analyzed the relationship between ethnicity and stigmatizing attitudes toward people with mental illness in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Using data from the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study, the study examined more than 58,000 participants’ “ratings of warmth” toward those with mental illness.

Lead author Issac Jamieson, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Psychology, says they found Māori and Pacific participants had lower levels of negative attitudes, while Asian and European participants had higher levels.

Women reported lower stigmatizing attitudes than men, while those with a history of either anxiety or depression reported lower levels. No significant findings were found for age, education or socioeconomic status.

“Mental illness stigma is pervasive throughout society and significantly impacts the livelihood of those with mental illness.

“Negative stereotypes not only have a damaging impact on people with mental illness, but they lead to separation and discrimination—research has found those with mental illness are more likely to experience inferior health care, unemployment and housing-related discrimination,” he says.

Jamieson says the findings emphasize that cultural perspectives are central to understanding stigma, particularly in the context of Aotearoa New Zealand, and to finding ways to address it.

“We must acknowledge the variation in how different cultures perceive mental health conditions. Better acknowledgment and integration of cultural perspectives will allow us to be better placed to reduce the stigma associated with mental health conditions.”

Lower stigmatizing attitudes among Māori and Pacific participants could be explained by their collective worldview and holistic sense of well-being. Mental health, in this context, is just one aspect of a person, and they may focus on strengths in other domains that contribute to the flourishing of the community.

However, the relationship between ethnicity and mental health stigma is complex, and Jamieson says that while different cultures may perceive and understand mental health conditions in different ways, it is not necessarily problematic.

“Every community has strengths that can help reduce stigma. Integrating cultural perspectives of mental health into mental health campaigns may help relate to certain communities better and, in doing so, reduce stigma.”

He also acknowledges that stigma is multifaceted and this research looked at only one aspect of it.

“Further research into the different components of stigma is essential to understanding it and designing effective interventions to reduce it and improve the livelihood of those with mental health conditions.”

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