Stigma and Stereotyping of Veterans who May Benefit from a Psychiatric Service Dog: A Test of the Stereotype Content Model and Weiner’s Attribution-Affect-Action Model

Abstract

Among veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid substance use disorder (SUD), stigma has been identified as a frequent barrier to help-seeking and treatment. Stigma can also lead to the activation of stereotypes and discrimination. Increasingly, veterans are relying on psychiatric service dogs (PSDs) to aid in managing their PTSD and comorbid SUD. Consumer demand currently exceeds the availability of PSDs in Canada, and very few individuals can afford a PSD independently. This study examined the stigma and stereotyping of Canadian veterans needing a PSD using two theoretical models of stereotyping and stigma. Hypotheses were mostly supported. The veteran with PTSD was positively stereotyped by participants and was considered part of the normative social "in-group." Participants were more willing to support these individuals in their acquisition of a PSD. In contrast, a veteran with SUD was more negatively stereotyped and stigmatized. Societal perceptions of veterans with PTSD may be more positive than previous research findings. However, an accompanying SUD may counteract this and result in stigma, negative stereotyping, and decreased civilian support for veterans accessing PSDs. Future research on these issues is warranted, including the development and testing of interventions aimed at addressing beliefs about SUD and increasing empathy and compassion for individuals with SUD.

Blame it on her ‘baby brain’? Investigating the contents of social stereotypes about pregnant women's warmth and competence

“…Using the group means, each parental group was then classified along Fiske et al's (2002) quadrants of Stereotype Content, to ascertain how each group descriptively fit within this taxonomy of stereotyping. This was achieved by mapping the groups onto the SCM taxonomy, as per Williamson (2019). Middle‐aged men, teenage boys and working fathers were rated as fulfilling the ‘envious’ response; that is, high competence, low warmth.…”

“…When multivariate effects were significant, univariate effects were then investigated and post‐hoc tests were performed with Bonferroni corrections, to investigate how pregnant women differed from the other groups. Then, as per Williamson (2019), using the Group means for warmth and competence as midpoint anchors, each group was plotted within the SCM taxonomy (see Figure 1). Differences in warmth and competence ratings between groups assigned to the four quadrants of the SCM taxonomy were then investigated.…”

“…Importantly, these stereotypes about different groups are not only descriptive and categorical, but they are also prescriptive, in that they dictate what groups should look like and do (Cialdini & Trost, 1998;Eagly & Steffen, 1984;Ramos et al, 2018). For example, the overriding stereotype of women as warm but incapable thus determines that women should behave in a way that is passive and subservient (Williams & Best, 1990) and in need of help (Kahalon et al, 2018). These stereotypes have harmful consequences for women, including restricting access to traditionally masculine fields (e.g., STEM careers; Good et al, 2012), reducing women's leadership aspirations (Johnson et al, 2008) and harming performance evaluations (Bauer & Baltes, 2002).…”