BMC Psychiatry DOI 101186512888-017-13899 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Labelling
ID: 3447015 • Letter: B
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BMC Psychiatry DOI 101186512888-017-13899 RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Labelling effects and adolescent responses to peers with depression: an experimental investigation Louise Dolphin and Eilis Hennessy Background: The impact of iiness labes on the stigma experiences of indviduas with mental heath 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 healthVillness. Others beleve that behavioral symptoms are more powerful influencers of stigma than labels The phenomenon has recelved litle attention in adolescent reseach 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 nformation on adolescents' responses to peers with depressiorn Methods: Participants were 156 adolescents, 76 male, 80 female U-1625 years; SD·361), assigned to one of three conditions (Control Label Continuum). Participants respond to four audio-visual vignette characters Itwo dlinically depressed) on three occasions Outcome measures included judgment of the mental health of the vignette characters and emotional responses to them Results: Neither the provision of a depression label or continuum infomation influenced perceptions of the mental health of the characters in the audio-visual vignettes or partic pants emotional responses to them Conclusion: The findings have implations for the design of intervere©ns to combat depression stigma with adolescents Interventions should not necessarily target perceptions of psychiatric labeb, but rather perceptions of Keywords: Labelling, Stigma Gender, Peers stimuli belonging to diferent classes (between-category Some adolescents report that the depression label has a accentuation: BCA), and by increasing the apparent negative eflect on their sense of self and their view of the similarity of stimuli belonging to the same class (within- future, contributing to an illness identity that hinders category assimilation"; WCA), a phenomenon replicated recovery [1) Fear of labels and anticipation of stigma is a in numerous object peroeption studies [4, S). Social py- barrier to adolescents help-seeking 12) However, few stud chologists have also investigated how category labels ies have tried to understand such stigma by investigating structure perceptions of social groups, Category labels the adolescent peer group's response to depression labels provide a perceiver with a resource to navigate the social Labels and perception Early perception research [3]established that the applica- tion of category labels distorts the perception of simple objects by increasing the apparent dfferences between for interpreting and integrating social information [6)- However, as with object perception, labels can induce categorical representations that reduce perceived differ ences between members of the same group ating perceived differences between members of different groups [7, 81 School of Psychology, Univerity College Dublin Seiffieid, Dublin 4 Dubli BioMed CentalExplanation / Answer
1a. The researchers analysed the literature to base their hypothesis on existing views with respect to the impact of illness labels on the stigma experiences of individuals with mental health problems. They found that labelling works by increasing the apparent differences between stimuli belonging to different classes (“between-category accentuation”; BCA), and by increasing the apparent similarity of stimuli belonging to the same class (“within-category assimilation”; WCA), thereby distorting the perception of an object. In this regard, information emphasising the existence of a continuum of mental health/illness can be favourable.
1b. The two hypothesis of the study:
1c. Participants were 156 adolescents, 76 male, 80 female (M = 16.25 years; SD = .361) recruited through four schools in the Dublin area (two mixed schools, two single sex schools).
1d. The study’s hypotheses were not supported by statistical analysis.
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