Extended Abstract - Exploring Mental Health and Stigma Communication Across Academic Communities

Lead Author: Shawna Dias

Second Author: Xiaojing Wang

Presenting at National Communication Association Conference 2020, Indianapolis

Experts predict that by the year 2020, the sum of diagnosed mental health disorders may outnumber other major causes of disability, globally. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there are currently an estimated 43.5 million American adults battling mental illness; 9.8 million of whom are diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI), meaning their disorders interfere with or limit one or more major life activities. Of those diagnosed with having SMI, 1.7 million are young adults, aged 18 to 25 (SAMHSA, 2015).

Our study examines the social stigma that is attached to mental illness, which has been identified as one of the largest barriers to treatment and help seeking (Corrigan, 2004). Individuals in a college environment are particularly at risk for developing symptoms of mental illness due to lifestyle changes and the unique pressures that are incurred in the pursuit of scholarship (Pedrelli et al., 2015). It is imperative that health communication researchers and practitioners have a keen understanding of how stigma affects members of these communities, so that they may better inform or manage efforts to improve the state of mental health within them. While the topics of mental and behavioral health have received increased scholarly attention in recent years, the body of literature that addresses these topics through a health communication lens is very limited, and no found research specifically addresses how faculty members personally experience mental illness or the associated stigma, nor has existing research attempted to compare experiences across academic communities.

The purpose of this study is to explore how members of academic groups experience and communicate about mental health and stigma. It also seeks to identify more effective ways to frame or introduce interventions aimed at reducing stigma and increasing help-seeking behaviors. Thus, data collection will be guided by the following research questions:

RQ1: How is mental illness experienced across academic communities?

RQ2: How do academic communities communicate about mental health stigma?

RQ3: What is the role of communication in stigma intervention?

Methods

This study has already received Institutional Review Board approval, and data collection is currently in progress. Through semi-structured interviews with as many as 30 participants from universities and colleges in the United States, we are exploring mental health and stigma communication across three academic communities: undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty members. In this study, faculty members are defined as compensated course instructors who are either adjunct, pre-tenure track, tenure track, or tenured employees of a college or university. Participants are being recruited through our University’s SONA research platform, through personal social networks, on social media, and through communication community listservs. Interviews began in October of 2019 and are expected to be completed by June, 2020. At this time, 18 interviews have already been completed and we are in the process of transcribing them.

We will use an abductive, and multifaceted approach to analyzing the transcripts. The model of stigma domains (Brondani, Alan, & Donnelly, 2017) and the model of stigma communication (Smith, 2007; 2011), will provide frameworks for analyzing participants’ experiences of stigma. Grounded theory approach (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) will be used to inductively code) for other points of interest. NVivo will be used to sort and analyze the data, and organize codes into thematic categories.

Expectations

We anticipate that we will find some commonalities in the types of mental health conditions that participants report, as well as some parallels in the experiences of stigma. However, we expect that the experiences of the mental health conditions, the propensities for and approaches to communication, and the impacts that stigma has will be particular for each participant or academic group.

By participating in the Research in Progress session at NCA, we will gain a better understanding of the challenges and limitations for conducting research with protected or at-risk communities. We also hope to learn more about the barriers that might inhibit prospective participants from fully engaging in this research project. We have found it somewhat challenging to recruit faculty participants, so are eager to hear perspectives about how to better reach this community.

Key words: mental health, stigma, interventions, health communication, model of stigma domains, model of stigma communication

References

Brodani, M.A., Alan, R., & Donnelly, L. (2017). Stigma of addiction and mental illness in healthcare: The case of patients’ experiences in dental settings. PLoS One, 12(5). https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0177388

Corrigan, P.W. (2004). How stigma interferes with mental health care. American Psychologist, 59(7), 614-625. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.59.7.614

Glaser, B. G. A. L. (1978). Strauss (1967): The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. London: Wiedenfeld and Nicholson.

Pedrelli, P., Nyer, M., Yeung, A., Yulauf, C., & Wilens, T. (2015). College students: mental health problems and treatment considerations. Academic Psychiatry, 39(5), 503-511. doi: 10.1007/s40596-014-0205-9

SAMHSA.gov. Prevention of substance abuse and mental illness. http://www.samhsa.gov/prevention

Smith, R.A. (2007). Language of the lost: An explication of stigma communication. Communication Theory, 17, 462-485. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2885.2007.00307.x

Smith, R. A. (2011). Stigma communication and health. In T. L. Thompson, R. Parrott, & J. Nussbaum (Eds.), Handbook of health communication (2d ed., pp. 455–468). New York: Taylor & Francis.