Experience Of Social Stigma Research Articles

The Impact of Social Stigma on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Community

LGBTQ+ community people experience and worries of sexual stigma that affects their mental health. This study investigates the relationship between social stigma and mental health outcomes among LGBTQ+ individuals in India. Utilizing data from a diverse sample of 400 participants, comprising males, females, and non-binary/genderqueer individuals, gathered through an online questionnaire, the research examines the impact of social stigma variables including Rejection, Inferiority, Support Loved Ones and Social Perception Isolation and Loneliness Emotional Resilience parameters such as Unhappiness, Nervousness, and Suicidal Thoughts. Statistical analyses, conducted using SPSS, reveal moderate to moderately strong correlations between experiences of social stigma and adverse mental health outcomes, highlighting the urgent essential for targeted interventions toward reduce stigma then enhance rational healthiness support within LGBTQ+ communities in India and beyond. These findings underscore the importance of fostering inclusive environments and tailored interventions to promote the well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals. Keywords: LGBTQ+, Social Stigma, Mental Health, Queer

COVID-19 Linked Social Stigma Among Arab Survivors: A Cross-Sectional Experiences from the Active Phase of the Pandemic.

This study aimed to explore the magnitude and variability of the disease-linked stigma among COVID-19 survivors and their experiences of social stigma, coping strategies, contextual challenges, and preferences for support. An Arabic version of the social stigma survey questionnaire was designed and validated to obtain socio-demographic characteristics and quantitative measures of stigma encountered by the survivors. 482 COVID-19 survivors completed the survey, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The results of this study revealed the prevalence of high levels of both perceived external stigma and enacted stigma among participants. Enacted and Internalized stigma were associated with survivors' educational background/ status. The participants suggested three levels of support: organizational, social, and personal. Establishing an online stigma reduction program and national psychological crisis interventions at the organizational level. It is crucial to assist coping mechanisms and societal reintegration techniques at the social level. These results provide valuable insights for holistic health policy formation and preparedness strategies for future pandemics, helping survivors promote health and reintegrate into society, where stigma reduction and psychological crisis interventions are underdeveloped.

Causing trouble and being transmissible: COVID-19 survivors' experiences of stigma and discrimination in South Korea.

The stigma associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is relatively neglected in policies for handling the disease. Stigmatization occurs only within specific social contexts in local societies. This study aims to examine COVID-19 survivors' experiences of social stigma and discrimination in South Korea in the first 2 years of the pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Of 52 participants, 45 reported that they had to cope with stigma and discrimination in their intimate social relationships, workplaces, and children's schools, ranging from subtle actions to job loss. Sexual minorities who were involved in mass disease transmission in the early part of the pandemic experienced a higher level of stigmatization. The stigmatization dealt with in this study was related to two themes: survivors' sense of causing trouble and possibility of transmission. By intertwining this stigma with the experiences of public health measures through the voices of survivors, this study reveals the local context of East Asia in terms of culture-specific aspects of COVID-19-related stigma.

Nurses' experiences of the social stigma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.

One of the psychological issues that health personnel face when treating COVID-19 patients is the societal stigma. This issue has not been addressed due to the disease's devastating impact on numerous sectors of society. This study aimed to evaluate nurses' experiences of social stigma caused by the COVID-19 pandemic with a qualitative approach. Inductive qualitative content analysis was used to conduct this qualitative research. COVID ward nurses who had been subjected to social stigma were chosen as the study sample. Data were collected through semi-structured and individual interviews and were concurrently analysed using the conventional content analysis approach recommended by Graneheim and Lundman. There are three categories and six sub-categories of social stigma experienced by nurses: (1) paradoxical emotions (psychological stress and positive attitude), (2) abandonment (all-round rejection and isolation) and (3) coping strategies (self-awareness over time and the influential role of the media). The findings of this study can help healthcare managers to improve the quality of care by enhancing understanding of the psychological needs arising from social stigma. Based on these findings, designing psychosocial interventions related to stigma can promote the mental health of this group and their families.

Social Stigma, Mental Health, Stress, and Health-Related Quality of Life in People with Long COVID

A considerable amount of people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 experience ongoing symptoms, a condition termed long COVID. This study examined nuanced experiences of social stigma in people with long COVID and their associations with perceived stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and mental and physical health-related quality of life (hrqol). A total of N = 253 participants with long COVID symptoms (mean age = 45.49, SD = 12.03; n = 224, 88.5% women) completed a cross-sectional online survey on overall social stigma and the subfacets enacted and perceived external stigma, disclosure concerns, and internalized stigma. Data were analysed using multiple regression and controlling for overall burden of consequences of long COVID, overall burden of symptoms of long COVID, and outcome-specific confounders. In line with our preregistered hypotheses, total social stigma was related to more perceived stress, more depressive symptoms, higher anxiety, and lower mental hrqol, but-in contrast to our hypothesis-it was unrelated to physical hrqol after controlling for confounders. The three subscales of social stigma resulted in differential associations with the outcomes. Social stigma experiences go hand in hand with worse mental health in people with long COVID. Future studies should examine potential protective factors to buffer the effects of social stigma on people's well-being.

Social Stigma and Suffering: Perceptions, Practices and Impacts around COVID-19 in Bangladesh

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has become a global concern due to the unprecedented catastrophe it has brought about. Social stigma around COVID-19 has become another concern in many areas. This study employs a qualitative approach in analyzing and discussing cultural perceptions and experiences of social stigma and suffering around COVID-19 in Bangladesh. This paper argues that socio-cultural and religious practices and various new metaphors in day-to-day linguistic usage around COVID-19 created and shaped social stigma with social suffering for the suspected, infected, associated, and even recovered individuals and groups. The findings show that stigmatization around COVID-19 takes place due to fear of infection, perceived loss of social status, discrimination in social life, and exclusion from standard health services, all of which need to be addressed in health and related policies in the future.

Lone Mothers in Chiang Mai with Experiences of Social Stigma

This article explains the outcome of the study to strengthen the knowledge of the experience of being lone mothers by focusing on the way “social stigma” and “social support” are involved in the creation of the women's experience in and being alone mothers in contemporary Thai society. In this article, researchers have studied the experiences and views described by the goal. The stories of the lone mothers of 18 people living in Chiang Mai are brought to the dialogue, reflecting the perception and experience of stigma and dealing with that stigma. In this place, researchers have included the “experts” in the future because they are interested to cover a wider group of stigma experiences. So specialists will be able to provide greater experience through the stories that the service provider or lone mothers to receive help in order to answer. The research question, “how much is that the social stigma/discrimination has created an experience of lone mothers in Chiang Mai”. It is a guideline for analyzing data, as well as lone mothers. However, the tools from this theory are not suitable for the stigma of lone mothers. Therefore, the researchers have taken three benefits to this research: 1) stigma experience 2) dealing with stigma and 3) ashamed and self-punishment. In addition, in this article, the story of the stigma lone mothers arranged by looking at the type of lone mothers that found that age group is a similar feature of the type of lone mothers that some of them are associated with the seals at stigma they. While other groups of lone mothers are older, the seals that occur are different.

Associations of gender identity with sexual behaviours, social stigma and sexually transmitted infections among adults who have sex with men in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria.

IntroductionSexual and gender minority populations are disproportionately affected by the global syndemic of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We hypothesized that transgender women (TGW) and non‐binary individuals in Nigeria have more STIs than cis‐gender men who have sex with men (cis‐MSM), and that experiences of stigma and sexual practices differ between these three groups.MethodsFrom 2013 to 2020, TRUST/RV368 enrolled adults assigned male sex at birth who reported anal sex with men in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria. Participants were tested for STIs and completed questionnaires about sexual behaviours and social stigma every 3 months. Participants were categorized as cis‐MSM, TGW or non‐binary/other based on self‐reported gender identity. Gender group comparisons were made of HIV, gonorrhoea and chlamydia prevalence and incidence; stigma indicators; and condom use during anal sex.ResultsAmong 2795 participants, there were 2260 (80.8%) cis‐MSM, 284 (10.2%) TGW and 251 (9.0%) non‐binary/other individuals with median age of 23 years (interquartile range 20–27). HIV prevalence among cis‐MSM, TGW and non‐binary/other participants was 40.8%, 51.5% and 47.6%, respectively (p = 0.002). HIV incidence was 8.7 cases per 100 person‐years (PY) (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.9–10.8), 13.1 cases/100 PY (95% CI 6.5–23.4) and 17.6 cases/100 PY (95% CI 9.8–29.0, p = 0.025), respectively. Anorectal gonorrhoea incidence was lower in cis‐MSM than TGW (22.2 [95% CI 19.6–25.0] vs. 35.9 [95% CI 27.3–46.3]). TGW were more likely than cis‐MSM to report being affected by stigma, including assault (47.2% vs. 32.3%), fear of walking around (32.4% vs. 19.2%) and healthcare avoidance (25.0% vs. 19.1%; all p < 0.05). TGW were more likely to report always using condoms than non‐binary/other individuals (35.3% vs. 26.2%, p = 0.041) during receptive anal sex.ConclusionsSexual and gender minorities in Nigeria have heterogeneous sexual behaviours and experiences of social stigma that may influence the vulnerability to HIV and other STIs. There is a need for tailored interventions that acknowledge and are informed by gender. Further research is needed, particularly among understudied non‐binary individuals, to better understand disparities and inform tailored interventions to improve outcomes among these communities.

Sources of Stress and Challenges for Gay and Bisexual International Students: Experiences of Social Stigma and Sociocultural and Psychological Racism

Internationalism and globalisation bring university students to different parts of the world. However, international students may face stress, discrimination, bias, and challenges from the hosted environment due to cultural and social differences. Based on the social stigma and sociocultural and psychological racism theory, the current study aims to understand and explore the sources of stress and challenges of gay and bisexual international university students in South Korea. 40 gay and bisexual international university students currently enrolled at one of the South Korean universities were invited to share their stories. The finding indicated that othering, boycotting from school personnel, and ineffective psychological counselling services in the university health centres and university hospital health facilities played significant roles in their sources of stress, challenges, and sense-making processes. This study filled the research and practical gaps in the areas of stress and challenges of gay and bisexual international university students in South Korea. Also, university leaders, government officials, non-profit organisational administrators, and public health professionals may use this study as their reference to reform and polish the current policies and regulations for LGBTQ individuals and groups, particularly for gay and bisexual international university students.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 8 March 2022 / Accepted: 13 April 2022 / Published: 5 May 2022

The fear of social stigma experienced by men: a barrier to male involvement in antenatal care in Misungwi District, rural Tanzania

BackgroundEvidence has shown that male involvement is associated with improved maternal health outcomes. In rural Tanzania, men are the main decision makers and may determine women’s access to health services and ultimately their health outcomes. Despite efforts geared towards enhancing male participation in maternal health care, their involvement in antenatal care (ANC) remains low. One barrier that impacts men’s participation is the fear and experience of social stigma. This study, builds on previous findings about men’s perspectives in attending antenatal care appointments in Misungwi district in Tanzania, examining more closely the fear of social stigma amongst men attending ANC together with their partners.MethodsTwelve individual interviews and five focus group discussions were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires with fathers and expectant fathers. In-depth interviews were conducted with health providers, volunteer community health workers and village leaders. Interviews were audiotaped, and transcripts were transcribed and translated to English. Transcripts were organized in NVivo V.12 then analyzed using thematic approach.ResultsThree main themes were found to create fear of social stigma for men: 1. Fear of HIV testing; 2. Traditional Gender Norms and 3. Insecurity about family social and economic status.ConclusionRespondent’s experiences reveal that fear of social stigma is a major barrier to attend ANC services with their partners. Attention must be given to the complex sociocultural norms and social context that underly this issue at the community level. Strategies to address fear of social stigma require an understanding of the real reasons some men do not attend ANC and require community engagement of community health workers (CHWs), government officials and other stakeholders who understand the local context.

Stress and coping among unmarried pregnant university students in South Africa

BackgroundThe improvement of maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes is an important part of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). MCH remains an important issue globally as the SDGs have not yet been achieved in most countries. Young women in universities are likely to experience unintended pregnancy due to risky sexual behaviors in tertiary institutions which is characterized by lack of condom and/or contraceptive use and coercion. Pregnant young women in an academic environment are susceptible to stressors associated with unintended pregnancy and academic demands of universities. However, very little is known about the stress and coping among young people in tertiary institutions who get pregnant during the course of their studies and choose to keep the pregnancy.MethodsParticipants were purposively selected among pregnant students and those in the puerperal period at the time of the study. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were undertaken to explore the experiences of pregnancy and early motherhood, with particular focus on the various stressors experienced and possible coping strategies employed by students. The data were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, then analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThe findings show that pregnancy and early motherhood was an experience that came with a lot of stress emanating from fear of parents’ reactions, academic pressure, financial constraints, relationship problems with male partners and experiences of social stigma. Participants used emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies to deal with the stressors confronting them during and after their pregnancy.ConclusionThe experiences of pregnant students are multifaceted and generally characterised by financial crisis, academic challenges, shame, strenuous relationships and transitioning into a new identity. A multipronged approach to healthcare for pregnant students that focus on comprehensive antenatal services, health education, health promotion, psychosocial interventions including academic counselling will have positive outcomes for young mothers and their children.

Social Stigma Related to COVID-19 Disease Described by Primary and Secondary School Teachers and Adolescents Living With HIV in Western Kenya.

Introduction: Understanding community members' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus and the prevalence of associated stigma are critical steps for increasing accurate public health knowledge, encouraging uptake of preventative or mitigating health behaviors, and ultimately bringing the COVID-19 pandemic under control.Methods: We conducted a one-time, phone-based assessment to assess the presence of perceived COVID-19 community stigma reported by Kenyan primary and secondary school teachers, as well as adolescents living with HIV. Participants were previously enrolled in an ongoing, cluster-randomized trial to evaluate the impact of multi-media teacher training on teachers' negative attitudes and beliefs around HIV. The SAFI Stigma Questionnaire, a validated tool to assess HIV-related stigma in this setting, was adapted to ask questions regarding the stigma and discrimination experienced or perceived during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results: We enrolled 330 participants in this study, including 311 primary and secondary teachers (56% female, average age 36 years) and 19 adolescents living with HIV (57.89% female, average age 16.37 years). None of the adolescent participants reported witnessing or experiencing discrimination related to COVID-19, nor did they report losing financial and/or social support. In contrast, the teacher participants reported prominent social stigma experiences of various levels and related to COVID-19. Teachers in the intervention group, who had completed the multi-media training on HIV-related stigma, were significantly less likely to think that the community viewed COVID-19 as a dirty or shameful disease, and less likely to feel it was important to keep their COVID-19 infection a secret, compared to the teacher control group.Conclusion: These findings suggest that COVID-19-related stigma may be prevalent in western Kenya and that interventions to reduce community-level stigma for HIV may also have a protective impact on other stigmatized infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

Implications of power imbalance in antenatal care seeking among pregnant adolescents in rural Tanzania: A qualitative study.

BackgroundAdolescent girls (10–19 years) are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality from pregnancy and childbirth complications, compared with older mothers. Low and middle-income countries, including Tanzania, bear the largest proportion of adolescent perinatal deaths. Few adolescent girls in Tanzania access antenatal care at health facilities, the reasons for which are poorly understood.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative thematic analysis study of the experiences of pregnant adolescents with accessing antenatal care in Misungwi district, Tanzania. We recruited 22 pregnant or parenting adolescent girls using purposive sampling, and conducted in-depth interviews (IDIs) about antenatal care experiences. IDI data were triangulated with data from eight focus group discussions (FGDs) involving young fathers and elder men/women, and nine key informant interviews (KIIs) conducted with local health care providers. FGDs, KIIs and IDIs were transcribed verbatim in Swahili. Transcripts were then translated to English and analysed using emergent thematic analysis.ResultsFour main themes emerged: 1) Lack of maternal personal autonomy, 2) Stigma and judgment, 3) Vulnerability to violence and abuse, and 4) Knowledge about antenatal care, and highlighted the complex power imbalance that underlies barriers and facilitators to care access at the individual, family/interpersonal, community, and health-systems levels, faced by pregnant adolescents in rural Tanzania.ConclusionAdolescent antenatal care-seeking is compromised by a complex power imbalance that involves financial dependence, lack of choice, lack of personal autonomy in decision making, experiences of social stigma, judgement, violence and abuse. Multi-level interventions are needed to empower adolescent girls, and to address policies and social constructs that may act as barriers, thereby, potentially reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in Tanzania.

성별화된 만성통증의 서사: 사회적 낙인과 서사전략을 중심으로

본 연구는 만성통증을 지닌 이들의 질병서사를 분석하여, 아픈 몸을 향한 사회적 낙인이 젠더화되었음을 기술하고 서사 전략을 살펴보고자 한다. 만성통증을 지닌 여성과 남성은 자신의 질병을 향한 젠더화된 편견으로 인한 사회적 낙인을 이야기한다. 여성의 질병서사에서는 “꾀병”이라는 만성통증에 대한 불신과 “까탈”이라는 심리적 원인으로 여겨지는 부당함이 강조된다. 남성의 질병서사에서 사회적 낙인은 좀처럼 이야기되지 않는데, 남성들은 만성통증이라는 질병은 친구여도 말하지 않는 것이 “자연스럽고” “당연한” 것이라 한다. 남성의 만성통증 숨기기는 “끈기 없는” 그리고 “엄살” 부리는 남성이라는 사회적 낙인 때문이다. 사회적 낙인은 젠더 규범과 연령 규범 그리고 건강 규범이 교차하며 작동하는 것이다. 이러한 젠더화된 낙인에 대응하여, 남성과 여성은 각기 다른 서사전략을 구사한다. 여성들은 첫째, 수행으로는 여성의 만성통증을 향한 불신과 심리적 설명들에 대해 저항하며, 둘째, 플롯으로는 순종적 여성상에서 벗어나 딸, 아내, 엄마로서 가족 내 역할 조정하는 과정으로 구성한다. 남성들은 첫째, 신체적 강인함에 바탕을 둔 헤게모니 남성성이 문제라 여기지만 자신이 수용할 수 있는 방식으로 개선하며, 둘째, 플롯으로는 만성통증에 합리적으로 대처하는 자기통제를 실현하는 과정으로 서사를 구성한다. 말하기의 수행성을 주목하면, 이들이 말하기 실천과 이를 둘러싼 사회문화적 영향들을 즉 신체적 정상성과 여성성/남성성이라는 사회적 기대를 어떻게 인식하며 협상하는지 살펴볼 수 있다.

Police stops and sleep behaviors among at-risk youth

ObjectivesTo examine the association between exposure to police stops and sleep behaviors and explore whether social stigma and post-traumatic stress might inform this association. MethodsA sample of 3,444 U.S. youth from the most recent wave (2014–2017) of the Fragile Families & Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) was employed. Youth reported their sleep quantity and quality, exposure to vicarious and direct police stops, police intrusiveness during police stops, and experiences of social stigma and post-traumatic stress following the stop. ResultsThe findings suggest that youth reporting exposure to police stops exhibited significantly greater odds of sleep deprivation and low sleep quality. Among youth directly stopped by police, youth who reported intrusive police stops (e.g., frisking, harsh language, threat of force) reported significantly lower sleep quality. This association was attenuated to nonsignificance when social stigma and post-traumatic stress following the stop were taken into account. ConclusionsMulti-sector teams should carefully consider the role that intrusive police stops might play in shaping adolescent sleep patterns and promote trauma-informed law enforcement practices.

Walking in Two Worlds

This phenomenological study sought to reveal the meaning for and experience of individuals who navigate two often-disparate ideological and experiential “worlds” within the culture of the United States. These two worlds can be described, respectively, as animistic—being embedded in and giving priority to relationship and nature—and Western mainstream—being embedded in and giving priority to materialism and rationalism. The phenomenon examined was—functioning within the mainstream culture while experiencing an animistic lifeworld. The animistic worldview is at odds in significant ways with the belief systems underlying the prevailing worldview, and is often misunderstood and demeaned. Six participants and the researcher participated in this qualitative study. The interviews were semistructured and open-ended. Through analysis, the underlying constituents and essential structure of the experience emerged. Constituents were (a) the experience of social stigma, (b) a deeply relational way of being-in-the-world, and (c) an expansive sense of identity. An experience of both belonging and alienation emerged—the true self-world remains concealed behind a “veil” or “mask” for the person’s protection in mainstream culture. Further research, particularly to benefit clinicians and clients, is needed to expand understanding of these dynamics which so affect people who walk in two worlds.

Survey of HIV/AIDS Clients in Botswana: Reactions to Supportive Counselling

A survey of HIV/AIDS clients in Botswana, Africa, all of whom were receiving supportive counselling, was conducted. A total of 328 volunteer clients from randomly selected sites completed the survey related to client perceptions of counselling helpfulness, outlook on life, satisfaction with goal setting in counselling, experience of social stigma, and acceptance by family and others. Overall, clients were very positive concerning the benefits received from counselling, their relationship with their counsellor, the goal setting process, their family/friends support system and their present quality of life. The majority of clients did, however, indicate some level of feeling stigmatized by being HIV-positive. Additional major findings indicated that clients with family incomes of less than 10 K pula per year (around US$1 k) were less positive about their counselling and related experiences than were those with higher levels of family income, with the exception of social stigma where lower family income was associated with less perceived social stigma. Clients reporting counselling sessions lasting more than 15 min were generally more positive in their reactions to counselling and related experiences than were clients reporting sessions typically lasting 15 min or less. A discussion of the findings, along with recommendations for areas needing further study and attention, is provided.

The balancing act: Exploring stigma, economic need and disclosure among male sex workers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

In Vietnam, there is an emerging HIV epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM). Male sex workers engage in high-risk sexual behaviours that make them particularly vulnerable to HIV infection. In 2010, 23 MSM in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) who recently received payment for sex with another man completed in-depth qualitative interviews exploring motivations for sex work, patterns of sex work disclosure and experiences of social stigma. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and translated into English and analysed using a qualitative descriptive approach. Low wages, unstable employment and family remittances were motivating factors for MSM in HCMC to sell sex. Participants described experiences of enacted and felt social stigma related to their involvement in sex work. In response, they utilised stigma management techniques aimed at concealment of involvement in sex work. Such strategies restricted sexual communication with non-paying sex partners and potentially limited their ability to seek social support from family and friends. Departing from decontextualized depictions of sex work disclosure, our findings describe how decisions to reveal involvement in sex work are shaped by social and structural factors such as social stigma, techniques to minimise exposure to stigma, economic imperatives and familial responsibilities.

Determinants of mental illness stigma for adolescents discharged from psychiatric hospitalization

Little is known about the factors that increase the risk for enacted mental illness stigma (i.e. rejection, devaluation and exclusion) as perceived by the stigmatized person. This is particularly true for the population of adolescents diagnosed with a mental illness. The aim of this study was to address this question and examine select social and clinical factors that predict enacted stigma (self-reported) with research that follows eighty American adolescents for 6 months following a first psychiatric hospitalization. Drawing on social identity theory, and research on stigma-threatening environments, social group identification and social support, this study tested four hypotheses: affiliation or identification with higher status and lower status peers predicts more and less stigma respectively (H1); a greater and more supportive social network, and more perceived family support predict less stigma (H2); greater severity of internalizing and externalizing symptoms predicts more stigma (H3); and poorer school functioning predicts more stigma (H4). Results indicated that about 70% of adolescents reported experiencing enacted stigma (at 6 months); disrespect or devaluation was more common than outright social rejection. Using OLS regression analyses, the results provided partial support for H1, H3 and H4, while H2 was not supported. The baseline factors found to be most predictive of enacted stigma ratings at 6-months were: affiliating with more friends with mental health problems, identifying with the ‘populars’ peer group, higher internalizing symptom ratings, and self-reported disciplinary problems at school. These four factors remained significant when controlling for initial enacted stigma ratings, pointing to their importance in determining changes in social stigma experiences in the follow-up period. They also remained significant when controlling for perceived public stigma ratings at follow-up, indicating that the findings were not due to generalized perceptions of stigma of youth with mental illness.

Politics Materialized: Rethinking the Materiality of Feminist Political Action through Epigenetics

The ‘new’ of new materialism should not be read as current feminism's distancing from or disavowal of the legacy of previous feminist movements. This past cannot be left behind as it is enfolded—both conceptually and materially—and reconfigured as feminism's current theorizing and political action. This article argues that this cultural inheritance is at the same time corporeally manifested in the biology of feminist bodies. Such a contention is inspired by Karen Barad's argument that concepts, ideas and other social phenomena are specific physical arrangements materialized through apparatuses. Barad insists that the relationships between the social, political and discursive and physical matter are not relations of externality. Instead, there is a complex entanglement where the differences between the cultural and the physical are matters of making separate rather than there being two radically separate realms. Barad's claims are supported by epigenetic research into the intergenerational health effects of the experience of social stigma. The results of this research suggest that an individual's environment, both physical and social, current and historical, manifests in biology at the molecular level. So politics, then, is a truly material practice which is at the same time constitutive of its practitioners. New materialism's history of feminist action and theorization can never be excluded from current practices of feminism but neither can it determine them in advance. Politics and feminism are particular, contingent, material histories, with each practitioner reconfiguring her or his specific biological and social materialization as their present-day political and feminist actions.