Challenge Stigma Research Articles

‘I’m just one soldier of many in the battle against stigma’: Young people’s experiences developing an anti-stigma resource

Abstract Children whose parents have mental health challenges often experience stigma, which may be further intensified by additional marginalized identities. StigmaBeat is a co-designed online resource developed with rural young people to challenge such stigma and share lived experiences. This qualitative, narrative study explored six participants’ ‘narratives of change’ one year after their involvement in developing the resource. Participants described feeling isolated, and particularly stigmatized in encounters with professionals before the project. Their involvement fostered connection with similarly situated peers and contributed to narrative reconstruction and destigmatization, with participants describing a shift from internalizing blame to becoming collectively armed to resist stigma rooted in structural injustice. They also reported greater self-compassion and a strengthened sense of empowerment to challenge stigma and influence others. Participants noted improvements in family dynamics and social relationships. The findings underscore the value of narrative approaches in professional practice—particularly anti-oppressive social work—in promoting non-stigmatizing understandings of social problems and mental health. The results call for social workers and healthcare professionals to engage in critical reflection on embedded assumptions and power dynamics that risk reproducing stigma. Narrative methods can further illuminate how interventions shape participants’ self-perceptions and everyday lives, offering valuable insights for practice development.

‘Medical Fatphobia Is Not Something We Invent’: Weight Stigma in Healthcare Experienced by Women in the Antifatphobia Movement in Brazil and Spain

ABSTRACTFatphobia, defined as the stigma and discrimination against fat individuals, is a pervasive phenomenon in contemporary societies, embedded in various social contexts, including healthcare. This qualitative, cross‐sectional and descriptive study explores the experiences of medical fatphobia among women involved in the antifatphobia movement in Brazil and Spain, drawing on 14 individual semi‐structured interviews. In both countries, biomedical field was identified as a central agent in the construction and perpetuation of fatphobic discourses. Participants described multiple forms of discrimination: structural discrimination at the macrosocial level, rooted in biomedical discourses that pathologise fatness and individual discrimination at the interpersonal level, encountered in healthcare settings where moral judgements shape professional attitudes and practices. This situation positioned the interviewees as inferior subjects, presumed to lack self‐awareness, rationality and self‐control. It perpetuates a form of symbolic violence—justified under the guise of promoting ‘health’—with wide‐ranging consequences. However, involvement in the antifatphobia movement and the development of a political and collective discourse around the body fostered mechanisms of resistance grounded in empowerment. This enabled interviewees to challenge stigma, critically engage with biomedical discourses and practices and cultivate a more nuanced, socially situated understanding of health and the body.

Land of the Free, Home of the Blazed: Legalized Recreational Cannabis Among Undergraduate College Students

Abstract Within the United States, attitudes toward cannabis consumption, especially among college students, have grown increasingly positive. Parallel to this trend, various additional social, cultural, and legal shifts have continued to occur in support of open cannabis consumption, though not without potential consequences. This phenomenological qualitative study explored undergraduate college students’ (n = 22) a priori experiences with cannabis use in states with legalized recreational cannabis. Findings in this study suggested a general lack of knowledge regarding cannabis consumption within the surrounding legal framework but a desire to practice safe consumption and receive a more meaningful education. Recommendations for practice included the need for higher education institutions to increase education on safe practices and challenge stigma and misperceptions surrounding cannabis.

The Lived Experiences of Ugandan Community Health Workers Engaged in Prevention of Vertical Transmission of HIV and a Capacity-Building Intervention.

To explore the lived experiences of community health workers (CHW) engaged in efforts toward the elimination of vertical transmission (EVT) of HIV and to assess the impact of a capacity-building training intervention. The study consisted of (1) a qualitative assessment of lived experiences of CHWs; (2) a capacity-building training intervention responsive to identified needs; and (3) assessment of the training intervention using pre- and postintervention questionnaires. Focus group discussions and semistructured key informant interviews in addition to CHW training sessions for HIV/EVT were held in 1 rural and 1 semiurban setting in Uganda, based on training materials developed by the World Health Organization and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We used standardized pre- and postintervention questionnaires to assess comprehensive knowledge and accepting attitudes toward HIV. Qualitative exploration of the lived experience of 152 CHWs in 10 focus group discussions and 4 key informant interviews revealed several themes: (1) CHWs as bridges between health system and community; (2) CHW assets (tacit knowledge and shared social networks); (3) CHW challenges (stigma, secrecy, and ethical quandaries); (4) favorable community reception; and (5) need for continuing education and reinforcement of skills. In response to identified needs, a capacity-building intervention was designed and implemented with 143 CHWs participating in 10 sessions. The proportion of participants with comprehensive knowledge of HIV increased from 45% to 61% ( P = 0.006), and the proportion endorsing accepting attitudes increased from 63% to 76% ( P = 0.013). CHWs are potentially valuable players in global EVT efforts. Ongoing training is needed to support community-level initiatives.

Former Teenage Mothers: Challenging “Your Life Is Over” Discourse and Showcasing Strengths

ABSTRACT In past decades, teenage motherhood has attracted discrimination and stigma and was considered to breach accepted life transitions and societal norms. This article presents findings from a PhD project that explored participants’ reflections of their personal transitions and mothering journeys in the years and decades after becoming teenage mothers. The researcher employed a qualitative, biographical approach guided by feminist standpoint theory and constructivist grounded theory. In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 Australian women who gave birth as teenagers, and whose eldest child had reached adulthood. A majority of women interviewed perceived that family and friends viewed their lives and prospects as being over due to their adolescent pregnancy. However, findings reveal that while participants experienced stigma, many discussed teenage motherhood as a positive aspect of their life trajectories, and they wanted this counter story to be heard. Findings present unique accounts of the potential impacts on teenage mothers of deficit thinking and labelling. Further, findings provide a platform for former adolescent mothers to assert their own maternal identities and prospects, and provide insights that can inform social work practice. IMPLICATIONS Experiences of stigma can compound the inequalities experienced by some teenage mothers. Challenging stigma is a critical step towards promoting social justice and positive mothering identities for teenage mothers. Social workers can play a key role in upholding important messages that challenge an enduring deficit discourse about teenage mothers.

Mental Health Recovery Process Through Art: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Multi-Center Study of an Art-Based Community Project.

Background/Objectives: Art-based community projects positively impact mental health recovery by fostering creativity, self-expression, and social engagement. Despite growing evidence on participatory art interventions, limited studies have used a mixed-methods approach to examine their effects. The present study examines how participation in the Artistic Couples project influences individuals' subjective perceptions of recovery, psychological well-being, and self-stigma. Methods: This exploratory multi-center study employed an embedded mixed-methods design, integrating qualitative Photovoice methodology with a quantitative pre-post survey. Participants (N = 30) from five mental health institutions across Catalonia engaged in collaborative art creation with local artists. Qualitative data from Photovoice discussions and semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, while quantitative data from standardized measures were examined using paired t-tests and correlation analysis. Results: Qualitative findings revealed the following three key themes: (1) artmaking as an artistic couple, emphasizing the collaborative process and art as a means of self-expression; (2) social connections, highlighting increased belonging, emotional support, and reduced loneliness; and (3) understanding mental health recovery, showcasing art's role in identity reconstruction and personal growth. Quantitative results indicated a significant improvement in the "Connecting and Belonging" subscale of the RAS-DS (t = -2.51; p = 0.023), particularly among women (t = -2.85; p = 0.019), suggesting enhanced social integration. However, no statistically significant changes were observed in overall recovery, well-being, or self-stigma scores. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that participatory community art projects enhance social connections and self-expression, which are key elements of mental health recovery. The findings suggest that creative collaborations facilitate emotional processing and challenge stigma. The improvement in social belonging supports integrating arts-based interventions in recovery-oriented care. Future research should examine long-term effects and gender-sensitive approaches.

Challenging aged care stigma through communication: discursive responses to stigmatising discourses about aged care work and implications for workers’ mental health

Occupational stigma can negatively impact aged care workers’ (ACWs) mental health. This mixed-methods study investigates whether ACWs who challenge stigmatising discourses, through communication, experience reduced psychological costs of aged care stigma. We screened 184 ACWs’ discursive responses and tested for differences in ACWs’ mental health between those who challenge stigma and those who do not. A discourse approach was further employed to examine recurring language patterns in ‘challenge’ discursive responses. ACWs (n = 95) who discursively challenged stigmatising discourses reported lower internalised occupational stigma and psychological distress than those who did not challenge stigma (n = 89). These workers chose to infuse positive value into negative evaluations about ACWs and aged care work. Overall, findings suggest that ACWs may spontaneously challenge occupational stigma, through their discursive responses, which may proactively protect their mental health. We offer practical implications for challenging stigma, including developing guidelines, training, and language-based interventions.

Mental health literacy among older adults in Shanghai: a descriptive qualitative study.

The aging population in China is surging rapidly, and elderly individuals are at higher risk of multiple mental health issues. Improving the mental health literacy of older adults can help them recognize mental illness and adopt proactive measures, potentially improving their mental health status and supporting the goal of healthy aging. To explore mental health literacy among older adults, providing a foundation for future interventions aimed at improving their mental health literacy. Guided by the new conceptualization framework of mental health literacy developed by Jiang et al. the study involved 20 community-dwelling older adults from four communities in Shanghai who were selected through purposive sampling to participate in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was employed to summarize and extract themes from the data. The qualitative analysis identified three primary themes and eight subthemes: inadequate knowledge about mental health and illnesses, negative intentions and attitudes toward maintaining mental health and preventing mental illnesses, and health behavior to promote mental health and prevent mental disorders. This study reveals significant gaps in mental health literacy among older adults, underscoring the necessity for multifaceted interventions. It calls for concerted efforts from individuals, families, and society to bolster mental health knowledge, challenge stigma, and encourage supportive behaviors. By integrating these approaches with the 'Healthy China 2030' policy, we aim to enhance mental health literacy for the aged.

Calling in: Mental health in management education and academia

In celebration of the 55th anniversary of Management Learning , we critically examine the journal’s role in fostering discourse at the intersection of management education and mental health. By tracing the historical engagement with mental health in the journal, we reveal gaps and opportunities for further exploration while recognizing the previous efforts that have been made by fellow researchers . Our hope is to catalyze this conversation in order to challenge stigma while emphasizing innovative approaches to enhance learning environments that support mental health of both educators and students.

Challenging stigma and attitudes towards ECT via an educational video

Challenging stigma and attitudes towards ECT via an educational video

Designing for mental health in higher education: a collaborative approach to digital interventions

ABSTRACT Mental health concerns significantly impact one-third of university students, with digital tools increasingly recognised as potential support for prevention and treatment. However, few studies adequately address the transition from research to practical application in mental health-related interventions, integrating multidisciplinary design methodologies and understanding students' sociocultural contexts within real-world healthcare environments. Here we present the outcomes of a process of co-design and validation of a digital mental health intervention in a university setting. We draw on findings from (1) design cycles and (2) validation workshops of a digital intervention to identify preferences of engagement and ethical responsibility for real-world applicability. Our findings emphasise the importance of involving end-users and clinicians throughout the process to improve existing support systems for students' well-being, challenge stigma, and promote context-sensitive mental health care in academia. This approach highlights the importance of designing digital mental health interventions that are both ethical and inclusive, thereby enhancing individual, community, and institutional resilience. We build on prior research by proposing design opportunities to enhance receptivity to digital interventions in university settings, contributing to responsible innovation in this field.

Mpox in the news: social representations, identity, stigma and coping

In May 2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic began to recede from public view, another infectious disease surprised the world—mpox (formerly monkeypox). It appeared to disproportionately affect gay, bisexual and other...

Creating dementia-friendly communities: Challenging stigma and building understanding through public education

ABSTRACT Stigma is a well-documented barrier to community and social engagement for people living with dementia. Awareness raising and public education have been identified as essential for developing communities that are supportive of people living with dementia and enable their social inclusion. A public dementia education program, co-designed and delivered by people living with dementia and targeted to people working in public-facing service roles, was developed to increase awareness of dementia and challenge stigma. This quality improvement study evaluates this dementia-friendly community education program in terms of participants’ reactions to the program, knowledge acquisition, change in behavior, and impacts associated with the program. A survey methodology was used to assess immediate reactions to the workshop (N = 110), and at a three-month follow-up to assess longer-term impacts of the program (N = 36). The workshop was well received with >88% of respondents being satisfied with the topics covered, delivery format, and program materials; >65% of respondents reported being more knowledgeable in all workshop topic areas as a result of the program. At follow-up, >80% of respondents reported that they implemented dementia-friendly actions as outlined in the workshop but were able do so more frequently for individual-level actions, rather than organizational-level actions. Respondents valued hearing the experiences of a person with lived experience. The study findings highlight the value of practical education targeted to public service sector personnel and codesigned and delivered by people living with dementia as a strategy for fostering change towards more dementia-friendly communities. Targeting leadership and management may affect greater change at organizational levels.

Challenging diabetes mellitus-related stigma with targeted education

Challenging diabetes mellitus-related stigma with targeted education

Words and Images Matter: Perspectives on Suicide, Mental Health Concerns and Alcohol and Other Drug Use Depiction.

The way in which topics like suicide, mental health concerns and alcohol and other drug use are communicated matters. It has the potential to have either a positive or negative impact on people and communities, particularly those with a lived experience of these concerns. This article draws on the findings of a qualitative study designed to explore the experiences and perceptions of stakeholders on the imagery and language used to depict suicide, mental health concerns or alcohol and other drug use. The focus group method was used as a form of participatory action research to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences and views of those who use or are impacted by language and imagery about suicide, mental ill-health and AOD use, including those with lived experiences of these topics. A series of 10 focus groups were created in February and March 2022 with media and other professional communicators; people identifying as having a lived experience of suicide, mental ill-health or alcohol and other drug use; mental health and suicide prevention sector professionals; and people from priority populations (n = 49). From these focus groups, principles were developed as well as exemplars of helpful and less helpful depictions. Rather than prescriptive or static rules, the participants indicated that safe representations require an ongoing engagement with the principle of "do no harm". A positive conclusion arose-that words and images have the potential to promote help-seeking, challenge stigma or stereotypes and create change.

Challenging public stigma: the impact of a statewide social media campaign to reduce opioid use disorder stigma

Background Opioid-related stigma can affect the health and recovery of individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). As such, campaigns to reduce stigma are needed. We evaluated Life Unites Us (LUU), a comprehensive social media campaign to reduce public stigma of opioids and those who use them, 12 months after campaign launch. Methods A cross-sectional web survey of 1,045 people was used to assess differences in public stigma by exposure to LUU. Survey items focused on public OUD stigma and were divided into three subscales: desire for social distance, treatment availability and effectiveness, and general attitudes. Results Controlling for relevant covariates (i.e. gender, political ideology, education level, race), individuals exposed to LUU endorsed less stigma in the desire for social distance and treatment subscales. There were no significant differences in stigma for the general attitudes subscale. Those who identified as more politically conservative held more stigma across all subscales than those who identified as less politically conservative. Females reported less treatment and general OUD stigma than males. Conclusions Findings suggest that comprehensive social media campaigns that foster connections, educate the public, and advocate for community-level change may positively influence public attitudes toward individuals with OUD and create a more supportive environment for recovery.

Building Recognition, Redistribution, and Representation in Disadvantaged Neighbourhoods: Exploring the Potential of Youth Activism in Scotland

This is a time of intersecting crises for young people in Scotland. More than a decade of austerity, the Covid‐19 pandemic, cost‐of‐living crisis, climate emergency, and ongoing global conflict all threaten youth security and create barriers to economic and civic participation. Alongside this, youth non‐participation is often framed as an individualised moral problem, diverting focus away from its structural causes. Evidence on youth activism suggests that young people are seeking new, creative spaces and modes of expression to challenge stigma, express dissent, and challenge inequalities in their communities. With support from grassroots youth and community organisations, youth activists can build trust, critical thinking skills, and solidarity. However, the extent to which youth activism can succeed in challenging structural causes of inequality, especially in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, requires further scrutiny. We draw on Nancy Fraser’s theory of participatory parity to explore how redistribution, recognition, and representation play out in the lives of young people, and how grassroots youth and community organisations support their development as activists. Based on a research study on the barriers and enablers to youth activism in Scotland, we seek to understand how neighbourhood‐based efforts to challenge stigma and economic inequality build dignity and hope, how relationship‐building between young people and the adults in their communities can support status recognition, and how these both contribute to emergent youth political representation.

Opportunities and limits: exploring young people’s views of staff care in residential alcohol and other drug services

ABSTRACT Young people in residential alcohol and other drug (AOD) services build meaningful relationships with workers during their stays. In this paper we use an ethics of care framework to explore what young people said about care, how it was delivered and what they valued about it. Drawing on three waves of longitudinal interviews conducted with 38 young people over 12 months, we discuss our findings according to two overarching themes – opportunities enabled by care and limits to care. Young people’s descriptions highlight the potential for care to challenge stigma, enhance self-worth and wellbeing, enable respectful staff-client relationships, and foster positive relationships crucial for maintaining engagement. At the same time, young people described challenges around providing both individual and collective care, coproducing care in structured environments, and facilitating care as young people transition out of residential services. These findings shed light on the delicate balance between care provision and contextual constraints within AOD settings. This emphasises the need for ethical relationships built on clear communication, mutual respect, and ongoing forms of care. Recognising the value of care work, especially in transitions out of acute treatment services, is essential for reshaping funding approaches to prioritise meaningful and continuing care.

Nurturing Black Male Mental Health Through the Black Church: A Conceptual Approach from a Social Work Perspective

ABSTRACT This article introduces a conceptual framework rooted in social work principles to support the mental well-being of Black males within the nurturing and supportive setting of the Black Church. It addresses how historical trauma, societal views of Black masculinity, and social determinants of health have made Black men more likely to experience mental health challenges. The framework combines vulnerability theory and social work theory to focus on Black men’s strengths and cultural sensitivities. It emphasizes the Black Church as a critical resource for promoting mental wellness and resilience. The approach includes implementing effective interventions to challenge stigma, improve the availability of mental health services, and encourage Black men to seek assistance. This article presents a holistic approach aimed at addressing mental health disparities experienced by Black males. It proposes using the strengths of the Black Church to promote resilience, facilitate healing, and encourage Black men to prioritize their mental well-being.

“Such a Queer Thing”: A Love Poem for Queer and Trans Young Adults

In a sociopolitical environment where LGBTQ+ rights are under attack, we are in critical need of research that challenges stigma and promotes joy for queer and trans people. Research poems utilize qualitative texts to disseminate findings via poetry, which can reduce stigma, promote empowerment, and tell a story. Interviews with LGBTQ+ college students ( n = 32) explored their experiences coming to and thriving in healthy intimate relationships. The authors, a queer cisgender woman and a queer genderqueer person, created the poem using quotes to illustrate processes of understanding one’s identity, discovering love, navigating queer relationships, and self-discovery.