Differences in visitor characteristics and experiences on episodic free admission days

Participation in arts and culture among individuals with serious mental illnesses and its relationship to quality of life and recovery.

“…Public libraries are always free to attend, perhaps more research needs to be done to understand why this important area is not being done enough. In locations where stigma may be an issue, trainings could be conducted to promote awareness about mental illness (Bowman et al, 2020; Morgan et al, 2021) and to create more inclusive environments (Snethen et al, 2021). Given that stigma can also be associated with increased social anxiety (Lysaker et al, 2010), it may be beneficial to find events or locations that are less crowded or that offer accommodations for people with disabilities.…”

“…Participation in this area would be impacted by the same barriers that impact other types of participation such as cost, transportation, and even stigma, as well as other unique factors inherent in the activities themselves. For example, many patrons of arts and cultural events have higher education levels and socioeconomic status (Bone et al, 2021; Bowman et al, 2020), with some even referring to these areas of participation as elitist (Jancovich, 2011) and highbrow (Suarez-Fernandez et al, 2020). Given that mental illness is associated with both lower educational levels (Breslau et al, 2008; Hakulinen et al, 2019) and income (Ribeiro et al, 2017), it is possible that participation in these areas could be lower for those with SMI.…”