The Implications of Mental Illness Identity Dimensions and Discrepancies for Well-Being

• In Event: 20820 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 6. Mental Health

Abstract

With survey data from a national probability sample of adults who identify as having mental health concerns (n=2,114), we created and examined measures of mental illness as a stigmatized identity. Drawing on decades of stigma and identity research, we presented respondents with a list of adjective-pairs representing stereotypes associated with mental illness (e.g., Untrustworthy to Trustworthy; Unsound to Sound). Respondents were asked to rate themselves for each adjective-pair from the perspective of how they saw themselves (self-view) and how they perceived others saw them (reflected appraisals) as a person with mental health concerns. Factor analyses revealed two distinct dimensions of the mental illness identity: Dangerousness and Weakness. Using these dimensions, we examined the relationship between the mental illness identity and well-being. In a series of structural equation models, the mental illness identity was related to lower levels of self-worth and self-efficacy and higher levels of distress. However, these relationships varied depending on the dimension of the identity (Dangerousness or Weakness), the perspective taken (self-views, reflected appraisals, or discrepancies between them), and the outcome examined (self-worth, self-efficacy, or psychological distress). Taken together, our findings indicate that specifying the meanings associated with the mental illness identity has the potential to broaden the scope of identity theory and enhance our understanding of the relationship between stigma and well-being.

Authors

• Mary Gallagher, Kent State University

• Kristen Marcussen, Kent State University

• Richard T. Serpe, Kent State University-Kent