Vignette Character Research Articles

Black and White women's attributions of women with underweight

Despite the idealization of thin bodies, many people with low body weights report experiencing weight stigma. This stigma might relate to stereotypes about eating disorders (EDs). Specifically, people with lower body weights might be perceived as having EDs, conditions associated with significant stigma. Also, there is considerable pressure for Black women to obtain a curvy ideal, which could lead to anti-thin bias (i.e., the belief that individuals at lower body weights have undesirable characteristics) in this group. The current study evaluated these possibilities via an examination of anti-thin bias in Black and White women. Further, we explored perceived attributions of weight for Black and White women with underweight. Black (n = 96) and White (n = 128) participants read racially concordant vignettes in which characters varied by body mass index (BMI) status (slightly underweight, average weight, and slightly overweight). White women were more likely to ascribe negative personality characteristics to White vignette characters with underweight than to characters with average weight. In contrast, Black women's perceptions of Black vignette characters did not differ according to weight status. Both Black and White participants were more likely to attribute underweight characters' body weight to an ED compared with average weight characters. Results suggest that weight bias literature should incorporate the assessment and impact of weight stigma for individuals across the BMI spectrum.

Associations between self-rated health and the assessments of anchoring vignettes in cardiovascular patients

Background/ObjectiveAssessments of health can be biased by response shift effects. One method for detecting such effects is the use of anchoring vignettes. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between participants’ self-assessed health state and their assessments of these vignettes. MethodA total of 342 cardiovascular patients assessed their own state of health on a 0-100 visual analogue scale. The patients additionally assessed two vignettes featuring fictional persons suffering from specific complaints. A sample of the general population (N=1,236) served as controls. ResultsThe participants rated the health state of the vignette character featuring physical problems as being significantly better than the general population did (effect size: d=0.53). The group difference in the assessment of the vignette featuring primarily mental health problems was lower (d = -0.17). Participants’ assessments of the vignettes were positively correlated with their assessments of their own health state (r=.26 and r=.10) and with several quality of life variables. ConclusionsAnchoring vignettes are a useful tool for detecting response shift effects.

Opioid Addiction Stigma: The Intersection of Race, Social Class, and Gender

Objectives: To investigate whether public stigma toward people addicted to opioids varies according to the race, social class, and gender of the person who uses opioids, the social class and gender of the individual evaluating them, and their attributions of the cause of opioid addiction. Methods: An online survey was sent to White undergraduate students at a public university. Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight vignettes depicting an individual addicted to opioids as either Black or White, male or female, and working- or middle-class. The vignettes were followed by measures of reactions to the vignette character including stigma, attributions, and preferred consequences, i.e. criminal prosecution or medical care. ANOVAs and mediation analyses were conducted to assess the direct and indirect effects of race, class, and gender on stigma, criminalization, and medicalization. Results: Participants tended to judge working-class opioid users more harshly than middle-class users, and participants who were middle- to upper-class themselves tended to judge all opioid users more harshly than participants who were working class. Expressed stigma was greater toward White than Black opioid users. Attributing addiction to bad character partially mediated the relationships between opioid user social class and the dependent variables. There were few effects of user or participant gender on attitudes. Conclusions: Efforts to shift public opinion toward supporting funding to address the opioid epidemic should be informed by awareness of biases against working-class users on the part of middle- and upper-class members of the public and the consequences of blaming addiction on opioid users’ character.

Three Little Words? The Impact of Social Security Terminology

We study the impact of changing the existing terminology used to describe the rules governing Social Security retirement benefits. We provided respondents from a nationally-representative online panel with information pertinent to the decision of when to claim Social Security retirement benefits. The content of the information treatments was identical for all respondents, but some were randomly given an alternative set of terms to refer to the key claiming ages (the experimental treatment group) while others were given the current terms (the control group). Despite the minimal nature of the change, there were significant differences in outcomes. Those in the treatment group spent less time reading the information but their understanding of the Social Security program improved more than in the control group. In addition, the treatment had the effect of delaying retirement claiming intentions by an average of about two and a half months. Respondents in the treatment group also were more likely to state they would advise standardized characters in hypothetical vignettes to claim later in life. Direct elicitation of all respondents’ preferences also revealed they thought the alternative terms were clearer. The relative gains in knowledge among those exposed to the alternative terms persisted several months after the treatment. These effects are stronger for those with low baseline levels of financial literacy.

Using Electronic Confederates for Experimental Research in Organizational Science

Organizational scholars frequently rely on experiments using human confederates or descriptions of vignette characters to study a range of phenomena. Although experiments with confederates allow for realism and rigor, human confederates have several critical limitations. We present a novel and efficient alternative: the use of responsive electronic confederates for manipulating constructs in dyadic, group, and team contexts. Specifically, we (a) define electronic confederates in an organizational research context, identify their optimal qualities, and review studies that have used them; (b) discuss challenges of utilizing human confederates and how electronic confederates may address these; (c) identify boundary conditions around using electronic confederates and, within these conditions, identify the many types of inquiry that can be aided by electronic confederates; (d) discuss validation strategies for electronic confederates, while increasing their believability to study participants; (e) provide materials for two versions of an adaptable research platform involving electronic confederates; and (f) identify future opportunities for developing novel tools for behavioral research. Our article thus provides a toolkit for organizational researchers that empowers them to utilize electronic confederates in their own research.

A comparative study of depression literacy between pharmacy and non-pharmacy students of a Nigerian university

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess and compare the knowledge and help-seeking behaviors toward depression among pharmacy students and non-pharmacy students. Design/methodology/approach The study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey and was carried out among undergraduate students of the oldest and largest university in Eastern Nigeria, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Open-ended questions were used to assess the participants’ recognition of depression and their preferred source of help for a vignette character. The open-ended responses were categorized based on the similarity of thematic content and presented as frequencies/percentages. Findings A total of 118 out of the 200 pharmacy students sampled responded (59 percent) and 270 students out of the 300 non-pharmacy students surveyed responded (90 percent). A significantly higher proportion of pharmacy students correctly labeled the vignette as depression (61.9 percent) compared to non-pharmacy students (39.6 percent) (χ2=16.57, p=<0.001). Psychologists were the most recommended source of help by both groups of students surveyed. A statistically significant greater proportion of pharmacy students recommended psychiatrists compared to non-pharmacy students (χ2=3.79, p=0.044). There was a significant association between academic level of study and ability to correctly label the vignette among pharmacy and non-pharmacy students [(χ2=18.08, p<0.001), (χ2=10.35, p=0.016)], respectively. Originality/value This is the first time the depression literacy of pharmacy students has been surveyed in an African country. The findings from this study are interesting in the context of current efforts to decrease the enormous treatment gap for depression by improving its recognition in community pharmacy settings.

Mental Health Literacy of University Students

The purpose of this study is to observe: (1) Gender difference in mental health literacy of Yogyakarta State University students and (2) Differences in mental health literacy of Yogyakarta State University students based on vignette character’s gender. The type of this study was factorial survey. In this study, respondents were presented with short descriptions called vignette that were constructed and contained elements that had been manipulated by the researcher to control certain variables, namely gender and mental disorders that the characters had. Then, subjects were asked to answer closed questions (Mental Health Literacy Test) based on the vignettes. The subjects in this study were 377 undergraduate students from Yogyakarta State University. The sampling techniques used in this study were cluster random sampling and incidental sampling. Chi-Square was performed to analyze the data. The results of this study indicated that: (1) There were gender differences in mental health literacy aspect positive attitudes toward professional help where more male respondents did not recommend seeking professional help for depression (2) There were differences in mental health literacy aspects knowledge about the causes of mental disorders and positive attitudes towards professional help based on gender vignette characters for depression.

Media language preferences and mental illness stigma among Latinx adolescents.

Media-a powerful influence on mental illness stigma-varies by language and culture. Nevertheless, recent meta-analyses have demonstrated scant attention to Spanish language media as well as historically low Latinx participation in mental illness anti-stigma intervention. To better inform how to improve equity in mental health service utilization, this study assessed how language preferences in mass media influence stigma among Latinx adolescents, compared to family language and social preferences. Sixth-graders self-identifying as Latinx self-completed assessments of mental illness knowledge/positive attitudes and desired separation from peers and adolescent vignette characters experiencing mental illness (N = 179; Texas, U.S., 2011-2012). Participants also responded to measures of language preferences (any Spanish versus only English) for consuming media (film/television, music/radio) and speaking with family (parents/grandparents), and social preferences for parties or social gatherings (Latinx versus Anglo persons). Linear regression models adjusting for student and household factors examined the associations between media and family language and social preferences on mental illness stigma. Latinx adolescents preferring any Spanish versus English-only media reported less mental illness knowledge/positive attitudes and greater social separation from peers and vignette characters with a mental illness, net of all covariates. Family language and social preferences were not associated with any mental illness stigma outcomes. Spanish media preference is associated with greater stigma suggesting more stigmatization may exist in Spanish- versus English-media. Ensuring anti-stigma messaging in Spanish media may reduce disparities in mental illness stigma among Latinx adolescents. These findings have implications for populations with other non-English media preferences.

An experimental investigation into pornography’s effect on men’s perceptions of the likelihood of women engaging in porn-like sex.

This experimental study investigates whether exposure to pornography affects men's perceptions of the likelihood of women engaging in, and enjoying, sex. Participants (N = 418) were either exposed to nonpornographic control videos or pornographic videos in which a male taxi driver has sex with a female passenger. Participants' perceptions of the likelihood of women engaging in various sexual practices commonly depicted in pornography (e.g., unprotected sex with a stranger and rough sex) were then assessed across 2 vignettes. In the first vignette, a male taxi driver propositions a female passenger. In the second, a male boss propositions a female employee. The study was administered online to maximize ecological validity. No effect was found for experimental exposure. However, an effect was detected for past exposure. Men who had viewed taxi-themed pornography in the past 6 months rated the female taxi vignette character as being more likely to engage in porn-like sex with a male taxi driver. Similarly, those who had viewed workplace-themed pornography in the past 6 months judged the female workplace vignette character as being more likely to engage in porn-like sex with a male boss. The implications of these findings for theoretical models of sexual media socialization are discussed.

Cross-sectional survey of mental health literacy among undergraduate students of the University of Nigeria

ObjectiveThis study sought to assess knowledge of schizophrenia and help-seeking behaviour among undergraduate students of a Nigerian university. Sociodemographic predictors of correct recognition were also explored.DesignThe study was a cross-sectional...

The effect of causal attributions for depression on help-seeking and treatment preferences

BackgroundDepression is a leading cause of ill-health and disability globally and encouraging help-seeking and treatment engagement is a key priority of health authorities worldwide. Causal attributions for mental illness have numerous attitudinal and behavioural consequences; however, limited research has explored their implications for attitudes to treatment. This study experimentally investigates the impact of causal attributions for depression on attitudes to specific help-seeking and treatment options. MethodsIn an online study, 196 participants read a vignette that emphasised either biological, social or biopsychosocial causes of a character's depression. Participants rated several help-seeking and treatment options on how helpful or harmful they would be for the individual described in the vignette and for themselves personally. ResultsThe causal attribution manipulation significantly affected treatment attitudes. Relative to social attributions, emphasising biological causes of depression significantly decreased the perceived helpfulness of lifestyle-based treatments, but did not affect attitudes to psychotherapeutic or medical treatment options. Participants rated most help-seeking and treatment options as less helpful for themselves compared to the vignette character. Participants with personal experience of depression had lower confidence in informal sources of help-seeking and greater confidence in medical treatment. LimitationsLimitations include reliance on self-report measures and low reliability of certain sub-scales. ConclusionsThese findings suggest emphasising the biological underpinnings of depression could deter people from engaging with lifestyle-based treatment options. Promoting biopsychosocial theories of depression could increase awareness about the multifactorial causes of depression without negatively impacting the perceived efficacy of any help-seeking or intervention options.

Psychosis risk stigma and help‐seeking: Attitudes of Chinese and Taiwanese residing in the United States

Intervention during the clinical high-risk phase for psychosis (CHR) can reduce duration of untreated psychosis and associated negative outcomes. Early treatment access and sustained engagement are important to understand for effective intervention. Understanding stigma and help-seeking processes is particularly important for groups that experience mental healthcare disparities such as those of Chinese heritage living in the United States. Chinese and Taiwanese participants (N = 215) residing in the United States were randomly assigned to one of three CHR vignette conditions based on the "what matters most" stigma framework for Chinese groups, which identifies capacities that define "personhood" and thereby shapes stigma for members of a particular cultural group. Participants completed measures of help-seeking attitudes, family stigma and individual stigma. More stigma towards the CHR vignette character's family was associated with positive CHR help-seeking attitudes. Participants who read the vignette describing CHR affecting family obligations, "what matters most" and participants who read the vignette describing CHR symptomology only had more positive CHR help-seeking attitudes compared to participants who read the vignette describing CHR affecting individual aspirations. Chinese and Taiwanese residing in the United States may perceive professional mental healthcare to be especially relevant for persons with CHR when symptoms are particularly stigmatizing for the person's family and when symptoms threaten the person's ability to fulfil family obligations (ie, "what matters most"). Clinical implications of findings include the importance of emphasizing positive treatment outcomes that increase an individual's ability to engage in valued life domains.

(Dis)abling Blame: the Influence of Disability Status on Attributions of Blame Toward Victims of Sexual Assault

The current study examined perceptions of blame toward a female sexual assault victim to determine whether disability status as either disabled or able-bodied would impact the level of attributed blame. Given misconceptions of women living with physical disabilities as asexual and not possessing the same sexual needs and desires as their able-bodied counterparts, we hypothesized that less blame for a sexual assault would be attributed to a victim with a physical disability than to one without a physical disability. Results did not support this hypothesis. In fact, levels of victim blame appear to be stable; both vignette characters were identified as equally culpable for their sexual assault. Interestingly, the vignette character living with a physical disability was identified as having a higher need for intimacy than their non-disabled counterpart. As predicted, male participants held more blaming attitudes than female participants across both conditions. Males also perceived the victim in both conditions to have more sexual need than females did. The findings are discussed with reference to gender role adherence, perceptions of vulnerability, and belief in a just world. Theoretical and practical implications are considered.

Preservice teachers’ self‐efficacy in managing students with symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: The roles of diagnostic label and students’ gender

AbstractThe present study investigated preservice teachers’ self‐efficacy in classroom management involving students with symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A total of 137 Chinese preservice teachers were randomly presented with one of four vignettes involving a student character with ADHD symptoms, with manipulations including the character’s gender and diagnostic label of ADHD. Upon reading the vignette, participants responded to questions concerning their self‐efficacy in inclusive classroom management involving the character. Findings based on analysis of covariance indicated an interaction effect of the vignette character’s gender and label on teachers’ self‐efficacy. Specifically, teachers perceived greater self‐efficacy in a classroom involving a girl with an ADHD label than in a classroom involving a girl with no label or a boy with a label. Findings enriched the literature concerning the roles of gender and label in preservice teachers’ self‐efficacy toward inclusive classroom management.

Parental recognition of preadolescent mental health problems: Does stigma matter?

RationaleParents are one of several key gatekeepers to mental health (MH) services for adolescents with MH problems. Parental MH stigma is a significant barrier to treatment, yet little is known about how stigma may bias parental recognition of mental illness in youth. ObjectiveThis study examines how stigma influences a critical and early stage of the help-seeking process—the recognition of MH problems in preadolescents by their parents. MethodParents from a school-based anti-stigma intervention study were analyzed. Logistic regressions examined the association of stigma with parental recognition of MH problems in their preadolescent child (10–12 years old) and that of two preadolescent vignette characters described as having bipolar disorder and social anxiety disorder. ResultsThe more parents desired their preadolescent child to avoid interaction with individuals with a mental illness—that is, to be more socially distant—the less likely these parents believed their child had a MH problem, controlling for parent-reported MH symptoms and other covariates. This pattern was prominent among parents who reported high symptoms in their child. Social distance had no bearing on whether parents recognized the vignette characters as having a problem. Avoidance of individuals with a mental illness and knowledge/positive MH attitudes were not associated with problem recognition. ConclusionStigmatizing attitudes of parents may be detrimental when trying to understand the psychopathology of their own preadolescent children but not preadolescents outside their family. Stigma may present itself as a barrier to problem recognition because it may impose a significant personal cost on the family, thereby affecting the help-seeking process earlier than considered by previous work.

Stigma of psychosis: Do diagnostic label, symptom manifestation, and gender matter?

The present study examined the effects of psychiatric label (thought and perceptual dysregulation vs. schizophrenia), symptom manifestation (positive vs. negative symptoms), and gender (male vs. female) of a vignette character with psychosis on the general public's cognitive attributions, affective reactions, and behavioral responses. A 2 × 2 × 2 vignette-based telephone survey was conducted based on 533 Chinese adults from 18 to 60 years of age. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that compared with the label of thought and perceptual dysregulation, the public accorded the label of schizophrenia with greater levels of intentionality and controllability. A male character predicted greater intentionality, controllability, and social rejection than did a female character. Positive symptoms predicted greater controllability, contempt, and social rejection than did negative symptoms. Theoretical and practical implications on the findings were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Labelling effects and adolescent responses to peers with depression: an experimental investigation

BackgroundThe impact of illness labels on the stigma experiences of individuals with mental health problems is a matter of ongoing debate. Some argue that labels have a negative influence on judgments and should be avoided in favour of information emphasising the existence of a continuum of mental health/illness. Others believe that behavioral symptoms are more powerful influencers of stigma than labels. The phenomenon has received little attention in adolescent research, despite the critical importance of the peer group at this developmental stage. This study employs a novel experimental design to examine the impact of the depression label and continuum information on adolescents’ responses to peers with depression.MethodsParticipants were 156 adolescents, 76 male, 80 female (M = 16.25 years; SD = .361), assigned to one of three conditions (Control, Label, Continuum). Participants respond to four audio-visual vignette characters (two clinically depressed) on three occasions. Outcome measures included judgment of the mental health of the vignette characters and emotional responses to them.ResultsNeither the provision of a depression label or continuum information influenced perceptions of the mental health of the characters in the audio-visual vignettes or participants’ emotional responses to them.ConclusionThe findings have implications for the design of interventions to combat depression stigma with adolescents. Interventions should not necessarily target perceptions of psychiatric labels, but rather perceptions of symptomatic behaviour.

Attributions About Mindfulness and Religion Among University Students

ABSTRACTAttributions about religious traditions and their perceived openness to mindfulness are considered in this exploratory research. A Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or atheist vignette character becomes interested in mindfulness. Using a general linear model, 11 items explored how the character’s family would be expected to react. Two items showed significant differences among the vignettes traditions: K’s family will probably make an attempt to understand K’s interest in mindfulness and people from belief traditions like K’s family would tell their children that deviating from their belief traditions may have serious consequences for their (eternal) well-being.

Am I ‘Chinese’ or ‘Scottish’? children’s perceptions of the adaptive nature of Chinese Scottish children’s dual identities

Chinese Scottish children (children who are born and live in Scotland with Chinese parents) face challenges in establishing their identity. However, there is lack of research that investigates ethnic minority Chinese children’s identity and associated feelings about the dual social context in which they live. The study introduced a social identity vignettes task to examine Chinese Scottish and White Scottish children’s perceptions of Chinese ethnic identity and Scottish national identity of a Scottish born Chinese character within two contrasting socio-cultural contexts (Scottish vs. Chinese). This study examines whether children’s ethnic and national identity and feelings of positivity are adaptive and sensitive to social context. In addition it explored age-related changes in perceptions of ethnic and national identification in the vignettes. The sample comprised of 161 children (8, 11, and 14 years). The results found Chinese Scottish children and White Scottish children’s judgments of the characters’ ethnic identity changed with the cultural context. Both groups of children had a similar perception of vignette characters’ feeling of positivity. Both Chinese and White Scottish children judged that the character would feel more positive about him/herself in the Chinese context. There was no main effect of age.

Public Perspectives Toward the Sexual Behavior of an Individual With Dementia Residing in Long-Term Care.

This study examines public perspectives toward sexual behavior within a heterosexually married couple in which one individual has dementia and resides in a long-term care facility. Respondents included 318 adults in the Southern United States. Paired sample t tests were used to understand how the diagnosis of dementia statistically influenced participants' responses, and a logistic regression model was used to understand how a vignette character's sex and respondent characteristics influenced attitudes. Fifty-eight percent of respondents believed that a sexual relationship should be permitted for an adult with dementia, and t tests revealed that dementia had a statistical effect on participants' responses. Sex of the vignette character was not a predictor of attitudes. Participant's qualitative rationales are offered for additional insight. Respondents who felt that a couple should not engage in a sexual relationship commonly cited consent-related issues as their primary concern. Implications for policy development are discussed.