A dual-process approach to stigma reduction using online, user-generated narratives in social media messages

Abstract

four years. I would not be here today if it wasn't for the constant support and guidance from my MC, Dr. Julie Andsager. Thank you for everything you've done for me. I learned so much from you and I hope I can be half the advisor you are one day. Dr. Rachel Young was a fundamental part of my support system. I will always be thankful for our talks and for quality time spent with my pal, Mavis. Dr. Kajsa Dalrymple was a great mentor from my first day in the program and taught me so much along the way. Thank you for always encouraging me and mentoring me these last few years. Dr. Andy High broadened my interest in computer-mediated communication and provided great insights for my project. Thank you for your kindness and patience throughout the process. Dr. Shelly Campo introduced me to the world of health communication and I will be forever grateful for her classes. Thank you for everything you have done for me. I owe many thanks to my support system. Larry, you have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams and I can't think of anyone else I would rather be on this journey with. Thank you and I love you. Erin, you always knew exactly what to say to cheer me up after a rough day or to keep me smiling through the toughest of times. Thanks for always being a positive force in my life. Paige, you were a constant in my life for the last four years. I can't imagine getting through this program without our coffee dates, your advice teaching MUE, and our long SPSS sessions. Thank you for always being there when I needed you. Natalia, you were the best officemate I could ask for. I will miss our fishing trips and lunch dates.

A systematic review of the impact of media reports of severe mental illness on stigma and discrimination, and interventions that aim to mitigate any adverse impact

“…Findings from studies assessing the comments on online news reports are consistent across both social media studies included in this review, suggesting that comments made by readers are mostly consistent with the tone of the article [33,39], with positive endorsements by the person sharing the post also associated with less stigmatizing attitudes [38]. Surprisingly, positive portrayals received the highest number of 'shares' on social media in one study [39] which suggests that there is a willingness to share these portrayals amongst social media networks.…”

“…Two studies explored the impact of social media posts on stigmatising attitudes. Miles [38] investigated the impact of social media message characteristics on social distance, blame and danger attitudes in a large sample of American adult social media users (N=1622) in response to a sample Facebook post depicting personal experience of stigma related to bipolar disorder. Characteristics of the post that were manipulated included argument quality (perceived persuasiveness and believability), writing quality (grammatical correctness and writing clarity) and endorsement (post accompanied by a positive or negative comment).…”

Public mental illness disclosure on social media and the effects on stigma toward people with mental illness: A systematic review.

“…Likewise, one qualitative interview study with college students employed thematic analysis to explore reactions to disclosures (Budenz et al, 2022). Additionally, six studies utilized experimental designs to examine whether and how exposure to public mental illness disclosure on social media could impact on stigma toward people with mental illness (Lotun et al, 2022;Miles, 2016;Neubaum et al, 2020;Taniguchi & Glowacki, 2024).…”

“…In the qualitative study, the messengers consisted of real college students (Budenz et al, 2022), and one experimental study featured a real "emerging" social media influencer (Lotun et al, 2022). In the case of the five "vignettebased" experimental studies (Miles, 2016;Neubaum et al, 2020;Taniguchi & Glowacki, 2024), the messengers were all fictional characters representing "ordinary" people. With regard to the diagnosis of the messengers, eight studies involved disclosures from individuals with depression or anxiety-related disorders (Budenz et al, 2022;Francis, 2021;Kumble et al, 2022;Miles, 2016;Parrott et al, 2020;Taniguchi & Glowacki, 2024).…”

“…In the case of the five "vignettebased" experimental studies (Miles, 2016;Neubaum et al, 2020;Taniguchi & Glowacki, 2024), the messengers were all fictional characters representing "ordinary" people. With regard to the diagnosis of the messengers, eight studies involved disclosures from individuals with depression or anxiety-related disorders (Budenz et al, 2022;Francis, 2021;Kumble et al, 2022;Miles, 2016;Parrott et al, 2020;Taniguchi & Glowacki, 2024). Six studies involved disclosures from individuals with other mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, borderline/personality disorder, and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (King & McCashin, 2022;Lotun et al, 2022;Miles, 2016;Naslund et al, 2014;Neubaum et al, 2020).…”