One trend that is becoming overwhelmingly popular in mainstream America, particularly among the youth (prior to and as they enter the workforce) is getting tattoos (Armstrong, Owen, Roberts, & Koch, 2002; Chivers, 2002; Laumann & Derick, 2006), yet there is little empirical evidence on the impact of having tattoos in an employment context. The current dissertation sought to understand this impact by examining the influence of employee tattoos on customers’ stereotypical perceptions, attitudes toward the employee, organization, and products, and behavior toward the employee and organization across two studies. In the first study, customers viewed a marketing video in which the employee either had a visible tattoo or not. Customers reported more stereotypical perceptions of tattooed (versus nontattooed) employees, such that they perceived the tattooed employee as possessing more artistic traits, having a less favorable appearance, and being risker. Stereotypical perceptions of artistic traits were the strongest, and these perceptions mediated the relation between tattoo presence and evaluations of the employee, organization, and product. In a second field study, employees (who either had a tattoo or not) sold restaurant cards to customers at a convention to raise money for a charity organization. Results showed that customers engaged in more avoidance behaviors with tattooed (versus) nontattooed employees; however, there were no significant differences in purchasing behavior based on tattoo presence. The results of both studies provide insight into a mechanism for how tattoo presence impacts customers’ reactions to employees, organizations, and products. Implications and future research ideas are discussed.

Violence and Stigmatization against children with disabilities are critical public health issues. Children with disabilities are a vulnerable population as they are exposed to various forms of discrimination and violence globally. The forms of abuse include, but are not limited to, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The experiences of Children with disabilities are massively undocumented and there is also a lack of existing literature addressing the issue. The abuse and violence against children with disabilities are also underreported specifically in cultures where this abuse is socially accepted. There are gaps in the literature regarding the condition of children with disabilities and the attitude towards disability, especially in lower-income communities. Given the invisibility of children with disabilities in most developing countries, especially Africa, it is reasonable to speculate that both killing and abuse of this population is more widespread than reported. The purpose of this study is to explore the various forms of stigmatization and violence against children with disabilities. The secondary purpose is to examine the effects, a child with disabilities might have on caregivers, especially parents. A literature review examining the prevalence and risk of violence against children with disabilities was conducted utilizing various online databases. Peer-reviewed research articles published in the English Language from 2010-2021 that focused on stigmatization and violence against children with disabilities were included for synthesis. Results suggest that children with disabilities are at a higher risk for stigmatization and violence than their non-disabled counterparts.

<p>Individer som smittas av Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) och utvecklar Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) ställs inte bara inför en livshotande sjukdom utan drabbas dessutom av stigma som är relaterat till fruktan för HIV/AIDS. Stigmatisering är ett globalt problem som kan leda till diskriminering och försämrad livskvalitet för personen i såväl den privata som den offentliga sfären. Orsaken till stigmatiseringen är komplex och problematiken existentiell. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att jämföra påverkan på individen vid sjukdomen HIV i Europa respektive Afrika söder om Sahara. Resultaten i studien baseras på 17 vetenskapliga artiklar där fokus ligger på anledningar till att berätta om eller dölja sin HIV-status och vilka konsekvenser detta val kan få för individens liv. Studien visar att stigmat relaterat till sjukdomen HIV/AIDS skiljer sig något i Europa och Afrika. Vissa likheter mellan de båda världsdelarna kunde skönjas, såsom att valet att berätta om sin sjukdom ofta föll på någon som den smittade individen ansåg sig ha en nära och förtroendefull relation till. Resultaten visar också att stigmatiseringens effekter kan slå hårdare mot den enskilda individen i Afrika än i Europa. I Afrika sker en omfattande forskning kring ämnet, till skillnad mot Europa.</p>

Individer som smittas av Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) och utvecklar Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) ställs inte bara inför en livshotande sjukdom utan drabbas dessutom av stigma som är relaterat till fruktan för HIV/AIDS. Stigmatisering är ett globalt problem som kan leda till diskriminering och försämrad livskvalitet för personen i såväl den privata som den offentliga sfären. Orsaken till stigmatiseringen är komplex och problematiken existentiell. Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att jämföra påverkan på individen vid sjukdomen HIV i Europa respektive Afrika söder om Sahara. Resultaten i studien baseras på 17 vetenskapliga artiklar där fokus ligger på anledningar till att berätta om eller dölja sin HIV-status och vilka konsekvenser detta val kan få för individens liv. Studien visar att stigmat relaterat till sjukdomen HIV/AIDS skiljer sig något i Europa och Afrika. Vissa likheter mellan de båda världsdelarna kunde skönjas, såsom att valet att berätta om sin sjukdom ofta föll på någon som den smittade individen ansåg sig ha en nära och förtroendefull relation till. Resultaten visar också att stigmatiseringens effekter kan slå hårdare mot den enskilda individen i Afrika än i Europa. I Afrika sker en omfattande forskning kring ämnet, till skillnad mot Europa.

This study explores the effect of gender on HIV-related stigma and discrimination with selected cases from Turkey and examines &lsquo / normalized sexuality&rsquo / (i.e., conformity to sexual norms in Turkish society) as a moderating factor. In this regard, both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques have been utilized, namely / (i) in-depth interviews with HIV positive women and men with different sexual lives, and (ii) a survey conducted at the University of Istanbul among dentistry students. The main quantitative findings of the research include (i) sexual loyalty of a woman was found as a determinant for HIV-related stigma and discrimination / (ii) female respondents discriminated people living with HIV on the basis of normalized sexuality / and (iii) male respondents discriminated on the basis of sex of the person living with HIV. A surprising secondary finding was that the sexual orientation of an HIV positive male did not significantly affect the amount of discrimination. These quantitative findings were also supported by the qualitative findings and all were analyzed with a gender perspective. Gender norms and sexual behaviors in Turkish society are shaped strongly by the patriarchal power structures, and stigma and discrimination act as control mechanisms to sustain this structure. It is thus argued that the prevailing patriarchal values and norms need to be examined in order to effectively challenge HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

Given the high number of people living with obesity, obesity must be considered a worldwide health issue. Apart from physiological impairments and co-morbid diseases, obesity has also a negative impact on the psychological well-being of those concerned. People with obesity are negatively affected on the social level due to obesity-related stigmatization. Up to this date, the understanding of stigma in the previous research has been limited by neglecting the sociological perspective and thus key questions such as by whom stigma is created and imparted and to what extent the socioeconomic status (SES) determines weight bias. Identifying stigmatizing groups and addressing the sociological dimensions of stigma research could not only contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of stigma but might also improve the development of effective interventions. The general aim of this dissertation project was therefore to identify social groups that stigmatize and discriminate against people with obesity. Within the systematic literature review (Bernard et al., 2019a) a comprehensive summary of published literature targeting the association between weight bias and SES in the general population was provided. The first empirical study (Bernard et al., 2019b) provided data from Germany focusing on weight bias in the form of non-altruistic behavior in a one-on-one situation. The second empirical study (Bernard et al., 2019c) investigated in contrast weight bias on a more structural level. The results of the systematic review and both empirical studies are discussed with respect to theoretical approaches, cultural and governmental structures, and methodological shortcomings. This work provides thus a) theoretical implications as potential orientation for further research and b) methodological implications with regard to the assessment of weight bias.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master Of Administration in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2017 / Equality is a constitutional provision which grants some people with disabilities opportunities of employment. The law that effects the constitutional provision is the Employment Equity Act (1998) where affirmative action measures are prescribed and to be implemented by designated employers. Many years have passed since the promulgation of the equity legislation in South Africa it is therefore justifiable to evaluate its implementation practices. In line with the central argument, the aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation of Employment Equity Act at UThungulu District Hospitals for people with disabilities. Findings revealed that the implementation of Employment Equity Act in public hospitals is self-contradictory; that is, hospitals are thriving to obtain and retain health professionals with the skills that will assist in combatting diseases whereas people with disabilities are characterised by the low levels of literacy. The implementation of the Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD) in the public health system is an indication of the nature of skills that are a priority in public hospitals. In line with the transformation agenda, positions that do not require high levels of literacy such as cleaning, security, catering and laundry were outsourced thus decreasing opportunities of people with disabilities to be employed. On the other side of the continuum, penalties imposed by the National Department of Labour for failing to submit Employment Equity Plan against the set quota in the public service confirms that the equity legislation was not contextualised in the South African setting during its formulation phase. Budgetary constraints were reported to be one of the contributing factors for the lack of implementing the equity legislation. However, presence of misappropriation of funds and corruption were reported to be some of the major causes of lack of policy implementation in the public service. The results revealed that district hospitals are not ready to socially and economically integrate people with disabilities based on lack of official accommodation, outsourcing of jobs where people with disabilities can be gainfully employed, lack funds to transform the physical environment and the conflicting priorities of the health sector that seeks to prioritise the employment of health professionals with scarce skills in order to combat diseases.

Despite enormous research on the experience of living with HIV, many questions remain regarding self-disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners by people living with HIV (PLWHIV), which is essential to reducing further infection. In this study, a phenomenological approach captured the experience of self-disclosure among South Africans living with HIV in Louwsburg, South Africa. The health belief model served as a theoretical framework, and in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 PLWHIV (8 women, 4 men) who self-disclosed their HIV status to their sexual partners. Their experiences were explored, discovering their illness, motives for self-disclosure, feelings regarding disclosing, responses of their sexual partners, their emotional reaction, and about their medical care. The themes rose from interviews showed that (a) many PLWHIV are reluctant to self-disclose until they actively experienced health issues; (b) motives for disclosure include the wish to ensure fairness; support and to empower other PLWHIV to prevent further infection; (c) feelings of disclosure are primarily relief and liberation, even though risks remain, especially for families separated by labor migration laws; (d) the response of sexual partners to disclosure varies widely; some are motivated to get tested and use condoms, decline and respond only with anger, blame, even abandonment; and (e) after accessing medical care, most PLWHIV reported support and appearing less sick, which reduces social stigma. The women were more open, forthcoming, and transparent about disclosing than men participants. Findings will assist with the creation of future health education programs aimed at creating safe environments to disclose HIV status, which may reduce community risk of contracting the virus.

Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-101).

For decades, researchers have documented how stereotyping and unfair treatment affect the lives of people with stigmatized characteristics. Pedophilic sexual interests, however, have received remarkably little academic attention. This research gap should be closed for two important reasons. First of all, people with pedophilia have a particularly high risk of experiencing negative stigma-related consequences as, arguably, one of the most feared and despised groups in Germany and many other Western countries. Secondly, vulnerability factors that are hypothesized to contribute to a higher risk of sexually abusive behavior towards children (e.g., low self-esteem, emotion regulation problems, and reduced motivation to seek mental health services) are likely to be enhanced by stigma-related stress. That means that stigmatization of people with pedophilia might not only have a negative effect on members of this group but may also compromise child sexual abuse prevention. This thesis aims at laying the much-needed groundwork for the scientific study of stigma against people with pedophilia by (1) conducting a systematic and comprehensive review of the literature on stigma against people with pedophilia, (2) assessing the prevalence and strength of public stigma against people with pedophilia compared to other despised groups, (3) developing and testing a theoretical framework for the study of stigma-related stress and associated problems among people with pedophilia, and (4) creating and evaluating an anti-stigma intervention program. (1) Our literature review documented a lack of research on this issue as well as the need for theoretical concepts and methodological designs conceptualized specifically for this field of study. (2) A scale to assess public stigma against people with pedophilia was designed and used to survey a sample of German pedestrians and US American workers from the Internet marketplace MTurk. A parallel set of items was employed to measure public stigma against other groups (people who abuse alcohol, sexual sadists, and people with antisocial tendencies). Results of these surveys documented people with pedophilia to be massively disadvantaged by stereotyping beliefs, negative affective reactions, and social distance, even compared to the three other stigmatized groups. (3) To reach the third sub-goal, the author of this thesis formulated the “Framework for the Effects of Stigma-related Stress among People with Pedophilia”. It contains a set of assumptions highlighting the relationship between the stigma-related stress and the risk of child sex offending, which is assumed to be mediated by impairments in emotional and social areas of functioning, as well as cognitive distortions, and the person’s motivation to seek mental health services. The model was tested in an online sample of men with a sexual interest in children. Overall, results provided preliminary evidence for the hypotheses previously laid out. (4) Finally, these ideas were put to practical use in the development of an anti-stigma program for psychotherapists in training that was experimentally validated online. Findings indicated that a number of stigma-related beliefs, affects, and behavioral intentions can be changed at a cost-effective level. Motivation to treat help-seeking patients with pedophilia, however, could not be increased within the sample. In summary, this thesis shows that stigma against pedophilia is a serious and widespread problem, and offers concrete propositions to promote a more realistic and empathetic view of this group. By approaching the emotionally charged concept of pedophilia from a stigma perspective, the research presented in this thesis challenges the way in which not only people from the general public, but also scientists and health care professionals think about pedophilia, and corroborates the importance of stigma reduction within the wider context of child sexual abuse prevention.