The stigma of mental illness in children and adolescents: A systematic review

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S130-S130
Author(s):  
A. Kaushik ◽  
E. Kostaki ◽  
S. Fewings ◽  
G. Thomas ◽  
M. Kyriakopoulos

IntroductionOne in ten children and adolescents experience mental health difficulties at any given time, yet only one third of those suffering access treatment. Untreated mental illness predisposes to longstanding individual difficulties, and presents a great public health burden. Large scale initiatives to reduce stigmatization of mental illness in children and adolescents, identified as a key deterrent to treatment, have had limited success, and research is scarce.AimsTo gain a better understanding of the stigma experienced by children and adolescents with mental health difficulties.ObjectivesWe conducted a systematic review of the literature examining stigma and self-stigma towards children and adolescents with mental health difficulties, in order to better understand the extent and type of discrimination directed towards this particularly vulnerable group.MethodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, the databases Pubmed, PsychINFO and Cochrane were searched for original research published between 1980 and 2014, assessing public stigma (i.e. the reaction of the general public) and self-stigma (i.e. internalized public stigma) towards children and adolescents with mental health difficulties.ResultsThirty-seven studies were identified, confirming that stigmatization towards children and young people suffering mental health difficulties is a universal and disabling problem. There was some variation by diagnosis and gender, and stigmatization was for the most part unaffected by labelling. Self-stigmatization led to more secrecy and avoidance of interventions.ConclusionsThe findings confirm that stigmatization of mental illness is poorly understood due to a lack of evidence and methodological discrepancies. Implications of the findings are discussed, and suggestions made for future research.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Lampard-Scotford

Amidst concerns that the prevalence of young people experiencing a mental health issue is increasing, it is important to understand young people’s responses to mental illness disclosures. Drawing on data from one-on-one interviews with six participants aged between 19 and 22, this paper demonstrates how perceived barriers, age and context changes, and stress and coping responses effect a young person’s response to a mental illness disclosure from friends, and how these responses serve to either prevent or facilitate future help-seeking. Consequently, participants suggested stigma was the most significant impediment to help-seeking behaviours in young people with MHPs. Age and context differences were also highlighted, alongside their effect on the participants’ stress and coping responses to disclosures and perceptions of barriers in mental health. Implications for future research and practice are also outlined.


2017 ◽  
Vol 210 (4) ◽  
pp. 261-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Schnyder ◽  
Radoslaw Panczak ◽  
Nicola Groth ◽  
Frauke Schultze-Lutter

BackgroundMental disorders create high individual and societal costs and burden, partly because help-seeking is often delayed or completely avoided. Stigma related to mental disorders or mental health services is regarded as a main reason for insufficient help-seeking.AimsTo estimate the impact of four stigma types (help-seeking attitudes and personal, self and perceived public stigma) on active help-seeking in the general population.MethodA systematic review of three electronic databases was followed by random effect meta-analyses according to the stigma types.ResultsTwenty-seven studies fulfilled eligibility criteria. Participants' own negative attitudes towards mental health help-seeking (OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.73–0.88) and their stigmatising attitudes towards people with a mental illness (OR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.69–0.98) were associated with less active help-seeking. Self-stigma showed insignificant association (OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.76–1.03), whereas perceived public stigma was not associated.ConclusionsPersonal attitudes towards mental illness or help-seeking are associated with active help-seeking for mental problems. Campaigns promoting help-seeking and fighting mental illness-related stigma should target these personal attitudes rather than broad public opinion.


Author(s):  
Geraldine McNamara ◽  
Charlotte Wilson

Purpose Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals experience higher rates of mental health difficulties in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts (Meyer, 2003; Plöderl and Tremblay, 2015). This is in part due to the experience of homophobia and stigmatisation within society. This discrimination has also been perpetuated within the mental health field, where LGB individual’s sexuality has been pathologised. In response to this historical stigmatisation a number of policies have been created to develop ethical practice while working with this minority group (APA, 2012; BPS, 2019; HSE, 2009; PSI, 2015). The purpose of this paper is to capture the experience of LGB individuals within mental health services and examine if these guidelines are being adhered to. Design/methodology/approach This study is a meta-narrative synthesis of 13 empirical papers, published between 1999 and 2019. Findings This study has found both negative and positive experiences of service users. The paper discusses major themes, implications for practice and directions for future research. Originality/value This is the first systematic review to look at the experiences of clients who have attended mental health services.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Nathaniel A. Dell ◽  
Charvonne Long ◽  
Michael A. Mancini

Background. Discourse on the possibility of recovery from serious mental illness has become increasingly dominant among mental health professionals. Mental health recovery has been conceptualized variously by researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and persons with mental illness. Several systematic reviews have synthesized the experience of recovery from the perspective of persons with mental illness, and offer different models of recovery. This proposed overview aims to summarize the methodological characteristics of systematic reviews on mental health recovery and to synthesize models of recovery from the perspective of persons with mental illness. Design and analysis. The authors will use systematic review methods to identify and synthesize systematic reviews on the phenomenon of recovery in mental illness. A pre-specified search strategy will be used to search academic databases and libraries of the Campbell Collaboration, Cochrane Collaboration, and Joanna Briggs Institute for published and gray literature. Two authors will independently screen titles/abstracts and full texts. Authors will pilot the data extraction form before independently extracting data and appraising study quality. Reflexive thematic analysis, informed by a hermeneutic orientation towards the included texts, will be used to synthesize models of recovery presented in eligible studies. Discussion. This overview will synthesize systematic review evidence on consumer perspectives of mental health recovery. Findings could inform future research, clinical practice, and policy by elucidating similarities and differences in recovery models across demographic or diagnostic categories and identifying how environmental, interpersonal, and intrapersonal factors contribute to recovery. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42019142970


2020 ◽  
pp. 136749352093715
Author(s):  
Simon Nielson ◽  
Lucy Bray ◽  
Bernie Carter ◽  
Joann Kiernan

Physical restraint is regularly used in children and adolescent mental health care, often as a reactive behaviour management strategy. Physical restraint has been associated with physical injury, but psychological consequences are poorly understood. The aim of this systematic review was to examine physical restraint of children and adolescents in inpatient mental healthcare services. Healthcare databases were searched to identify English language publications discussing anyone aged ≤18 years who had experienced physical restraint as a mental health inpatient. No date restrictions were applied. Sixteen quantitative studies are included within this review. Most studies are retrospective in nature. Publications were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme quality assessment tool. Common characteristics associated with children and adolescents who experience physical restraint include age, gender, diagnosis, and history. Most studies associate physical restraint with the management of aggression. Findings suggest that it may be a combination of patient (intrinsic) and environmental (extrinsic) factors which ultimately lead to children and adolescents experiencing restraint. This review confirms that little is known about children and adolescents’ first-hand experiences of physical restraint. Future research should address children and adolescents’ perceptions and first-hand experiences of physical restraint.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. e50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M Seabrook ◽  
Margaret L Kern ◽  
Nikki S Rickard

Background Social networking sites (SNSs) have become a pervasive part of modern culture, which may also affect mental health. Objective The aim of this systematic review was to identify and summarize research examining depression and anxiety in the context of SNSs. It also aimed to identify studies that complement the assessment of mental illness with measures of well-being and examine moderators and mediators that add to the complexity of this environment. Methods A multidatabase search was performed. Papers published between January 2005 and June 2016 relevant to mental illness (depression and anxiety only) were extracted and reviewed. Results Positive interactions, social support, and social connectedness on SNSs were consistently related to lower levels of depression and anxiety, whereas negative interaction and social comparisons on SNSs were related to higher levels of depression and anxiety. SNS use related to less loneliness and greater self-esteem and life satisfaction. Findings were mixed for frequency of SNS use and number of SNS friends. Different patterns in the way individuals with depression and individuals with social anxiety engage with SNSs are beginning to emerge. Conclusions The systematic review revealed many mixed findings between depression, anxiety, and SNS use. Methodology has predominantly focused on self-report cross-sectional approaches; future research will benefit from leveraging real-time SNS data over time. The evidence suggests that SNS use correlates with mental illness and well-being; however, whether this effect is beneficial or detrimental depends at least partly on the quality of social factors in the SNS environment. Understanding these relationships will lead to better utilization of SNSs in their potential to positively influence mental health.


Author(s):  
Miriam Blume ◽  
Petra Rattay ◽  
Stephanie Hoffmann ◽  
Jacob Spallek ◽  
Lydia Sander ◽  
...  

This scoping review systematically mapped evidence of the mediating and moderating effects of family characteristics on health inequalities in school-aged children and adolescents (6–18 years) in countries with developed economies in Europe and North America. We conducted a systematic scoping review following the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews recommendations. We searched the PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus databases. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full texts. Evidence was synthesized narratively. Of the 12,403 records initially identified, 50 articles were included in the synthesis. The included studies were conducted in the United States (n = 27), Europe (n = 18), Canada (n = 3), or in multiple countries combined (n = 2). We found that mental health was the most frequently assessed health outcome. The included studies reported that different family characteristics mediated or moderated health inequalities. Parental mental health, parenting practices, and parent-child-relationships were most frequently examined, and were found to be important mediating or moderating factors. In addition, family conflict and distress were relevant family characteristics. Future research should integrate additional health outcomes besides mental health, and attempt to integrate the complexity of families. The family characteristics identified in this review represent potential starting points for reducing health inequalities in childhood and adolescence.


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