Predictors and causes of the use of noun-based mental disorder labels.

Abstract

This research investigated (a) the role of empathy and stigmatizing attitudes in the use of noun labels applied to people with psychological disorders (e.g., John is a schizophrenic), and (b) whether depicted violence increases such usage. In Study 1, undergraduate participants (N = 308) read two mock newspaper stories in counterbalanced order: one depicting a man with schizophrenia committing a nonviolent crime and one depicting a man with schizophrenia committing a highly violent crime. Participants then selected seven headlines for each of the two news stories, in each case choosing between headlines employing either a noun label (e.g., Schizophrenic Snaps) or a person-first label (e.g., Person with Schizophrenia Snaps), following which they completed measures of trait empathy and stigmatizing attitudes. As hypothesized, lower empathy and higher stigmatizing attitudes predicted noun label usage, and violent depictions of a person with schizophrenia increased the use of noun label headlines. In Study 2, with 313 undergraduate participants, we replicated the effect of violence on noun label headline usage and demonstrated that dehumanization mediates this relationship. Several implications of these findings are discussed.

Effects of diagnostic label construction and gender on stigma about borderline personality disorder.

“…These findings are largely discordant with past literature, which has shown that noun labels both promote stigma (Granello & Gibbs, 2016; Penn & Nowlin-Drummond, 2001) and result from stigmatizing beliefs (Carnaghi et al, 2008; Howell et al, 2014; Howell & Woolgar, 2013) or low empathy (Howell et al, 2014; Krzyzanowski et al, 2019). Notably, however, some previous work has failed to find differences between person-first and noun labels (e.g., Martinelli et al, 2020), as in the current studies.…”

“…Analysis of news coverage suggests that noun labels for mental illness are used preferentially for “undesirable social elements” (e.g., criminals), while person-first labels are reserved for non-criminals and children (Carnaghi et al, 2008). Additionally, priming the notion that people with mental illness are violent influences how we choose to describe those people: Premodified noun labels are preferred over person-first labels for people with schizophrenia who are depicted as violent, and lower empathy, greater endorsement of stigmatizing views about mental illness, and dehumanization predict noun label preference (Krzyzanowski et al, 2019). Similarly, the belief that fixed natural causes predetermine mental illness (Carnaghi et al, 2008; Howell et al, 2014; Howell & Woolgar, 2013), low empathy, and negative attitudes about mental illness (Howell et al, 2014) predict noun label preference, while induced compassion reduces this preference (Howell & Woolgar, 2013).…”

Less than human: dehumanisation of people who use heroin

“…This is an area that requires further research with respect to dehumanisation. Of relevance, when research participants were asked to read a news article depicting a violent crime depicted by a man with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, they were much more likely to select noun-labelled headlines (e.g., 'Schizophrenic Snaps') than personfirst ones (e.g., 'Person with Schizophrenia Snaps'), and this was mediated by dehumanising attitudes (Krzyzanowski, Howell and Passmore, 2017). However, another experimental intervention designed to reduce dehumanisation of people with obesity by presenting textual information on its complex causes was unsuccessful, as it may have reinforced existing norms that most people already dehumanise obesity, thus legitimising discriminatory attitudes (Kersbergen and Robinson, 2019).…”

“…Rai et al , 2017), these types of process may also be relevant to health, criminal justice and social care policy decisions. Subtle dehumanisation of people with mental health problems, for example, predicts increased public social distancing and perceptions of dangerousness (Martinez et al , 2011; Martinez, 2014; Krzyzanowski et al , 2017); blatant dehumanisation of people with obesity predicts public support for discriminatory policies (Kersbergen and Robinson, 2019); whilst dehumanisation of people with alcohol use disorders by healthcare workers has been associated with negative outcomes, such as reduced value paid to patient consent and pain when making a medical decision related to their treatment (Fontesse et al , 2021). Policymakers may take advantage of public perceptions towards out-groups to justify difficult political choices, subsequently reinforcing and maintaining the social contexts that originally shaped those attitudes (Harris, 2014).…”

“…“Schizophrenic Snaps”) than person-first ones (e.g. “Person with Schizophrenia Snaps”), and this was mediated by dehumanising attitudes (Krzyzanowski et al , 2017). However, another experimental intervention designed to reduce dehumanisation of people with obesity by presenting textual information on its complex causes was unsuccessful, as it may have reinforced existing norms that most people already dehumanise obesity, thus legitimising discriminatory attitudes (Kersbergen and Robinson, 2019).…”