Stereotypes of mental disorders differ in competence and warmth

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Public Health

Background:

• Theoretical models often generalize public stigma toward mental illness.
• Previous research has not sufficiently differentiated stereotype content across specific mental disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how stereotype content, a facet of public stigma, differs across specific mental illnesses using the Stereotype Content Model.
• To move beyond generalized perceptions of mental illness and examine nuanced public views.

Main Methods:

• Online recruitment of participants across the U.S.
• Application of the Stereotype Content Model to assess perceived warmth and competence.
• Analysis of stereotype content for the general category of mental illness and thirteen individual disorders, clustered into four groups.

Main Results:

• The general category of mental illness was perceived as incompetent but not hostile.
• Four distinct clusters of mental illnesses emerged with unique stereotype content:
• Psychotic disorders: perceived as hostile and incompetent; Mood/anxiety disorders: average warmth and competence; Neuro-cognitive disorders: warm but incompetent; Sociopathic tendencies: hostile but competent.

Conclusions:

• Stereotype content underlying public stigma is not uniform across all mental illnesses.
• Recognizing distinct stereotype content for clusters of mental illnesses can inform more effective anti-stigma interventions.