Description of the purpose: The article by Pescosolido et al. (2021) aims to review and assess the changes in discrimination and prejudice against various mental illnesses, as well as verify whether current methods of eliminating stigma are effective.
Explanation of research design: The study used quantitative research design in order to gain numerical data and have statistics over the last 22 years concerning the rates of discrimination against mental illnesses. The selected data collection methods prove that the article used a quantitative approach.
Discussion of sample: The sample consists of “adults (age >18 years) living in noninstitutionalized settings in the continental US,” and the total sample size is 4134, “with the number of participants per age-period combination ranging between 126 and 345” (Pescosolido et al., 2021, pp. 2-3).
Description of data collection methods: The authors used interviews and surveys to collect data. They analyzed information collected by the US National Stigma Studies (US-NSSs) with the use of “the General Social Survey (GSS), a biannual, household-based, multistage, cluster-sampled interview project” (Pescosolido et al., 2021, p. 2).
Summary of findings: Overall, the rates of public stigma towards depression decreased, and general views on alcohol dependence and schizophrenia have improved at first. However, these attitudes then worsened again, and the discrimination against other mental disorders rose, meaning that the current approaches to address the issue are ineffective.
Strengths of the study (minimum of 1): The primary strength of the study is that it included a significant number of participants in surveys and interviews and analyzed an extended period of time (22 years). Therefore, the results are more credible than research with fewer participants would have provided.
Limitations of the study (minimum of 1): At the same time, one limitation of the article is a possible insensitivity in stigma measurement or a vignette approach.
Recommendations regarding potential applications for future practice that are insightful and appropriate: In the future, it is required to focus on spreading awareness and educating people about mental illnesses being a part of some persons’ everyday lives. It is essential to decrease the rates of discrimination against mental disorders and address the negative effects the social stigma has on these patients.
References
Misra, S., Jackson, V. W., Chong, J., Choe, K., Tay, C., Wong, J., & Yang, L. H. (2021). Systematic review of cultural aspects of stigma and mental illness among racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States: Implications for interventions. American Journal of Community Psychology, 68(3-4), 486-512. Web.
Pescosolido, B. A., Halpern-Manners, A., Luo, L., & Perry, B. (2021). Trends in public stigma of mental illness in the US, 1996-2018. JAMA Network Open, 4(12). Web.