Syftet med den här studien var att undersöka hur tre antmobbningsprogram, KiVa, Friends och Olweus är uppbyggda och används för att motverka och förebygga mobbning hos elever med NPF. Vidare granskades programmens tillgänglighet utifrån tre aspekter, social, fysisk och funktionell tillgänglighet. Resultat visar att programmen är effektiva i att motverka och förebygga mobbning, men det finns utmaningar som leder till att tillgängligheten för elever med NPF brister. / The aim of this study is to examnine how three different anti-bullying programmes , KiVa, Friends and Olweus are structured to prevent and combat bullying among students with neuropsychiatric dissabilities. Furthermore the programs accsessibility was examined by three different dimensions, social accessibility, physical accessibility and functional accessibility. Findings in the study suggest that the programmes are effective in addressing and preventing bullying amongst students, but there are still challenges in accessibility for students with neuropsychiatrich dissabiities.

The existence of HIV related stigma and discrimination in institutions of learning across the world is well-documented in the literature. It is also well known that factors such as knowledge about stigma and discrimination, fear of infection, social judgment, legal and policy environment act as actionable drivers and facilitators of HIV related stigma and discrimination. However, research works focusing on how various actionable drivers and facilitators are related to different forms of HIV related stigma and discrimination at universities in Nigeria are scanty. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the individual correlates of HIV-related stigma among undergraduate students at a public university in Nigeria. Methods: Quantitative cross-sectional descriptive design was used. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the University of South Africa. Permission to access the participants was obtained. The study was conducted at Ambrose Alli University which has a population of over 20,000 students. Informed consent was obtained from the participants. Simple random sampling was used to select 404 participants who were handed self-administered questionnaire. Collected data was analysed using All Pearson Chi-square test and Fishers Exact Test (p<0.05). Validity and reliability were also considered. A total of 391 questionnaires (97%) were returned and considered for analysis. Descriptive summary statistics and cross tabulations were used to analyse The results showed that a high proportion of undergraduate students still have stigmatising behaviours toward people living with HIV. These stigmatising behaviours are associated with certain individual characteristics. Recommendation: There is an urgent need for political leaders and heads of universities to implement policies and programmes that will enhance knowledge regarding HIV AND AIDS and thereby reduce stigmatizing attitudes among undergraduate students. / Health Studies / M.P.H.

Menstruation stigmas and a lack of facilities to manage periods have been identified as possible hinders for girls’ equal access to education all over of the world. This paper focuses on investigating how menstruation stigmas generate obstacles for girls’ equal access to, and participation in, education. Its aim is to investigate how girls in an Indian context perceive menstruation stigmas to affect them, particularly when it comes to school attendance and ability to learn in school. This is done by conducting group wise individual respondent interviews with female students from a school deemed to be less likely to subject its students to strong restricting stigmas and norms. An informant interview with the school principal, a text analysis of the school’s biology text book and respondent interviews with teachers were used as additional material for the study. The girls at the analysed school were found to perceive their capabilities to participate in education to be affected by menstruation stigmas and norms. Because these results were found in a less stigmatising environment, the paper suggests that students subjected to even more social pressure might be even more affected by menstruation stigmas. Recommendations are thus for development research and practice to break taboos and lessen the stigmas that surround menstruation.

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.

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.

The stigma of mental illness endorsed by healthcare professionals has been linked to adverse outcomes. This issue underscores the need for early anti-stigma interventions in the context of professional training. The present study measured stigma change and suicide screening behaviors among medical, nursing, and pharmacy students enrolled in an interprofessional Communication Skills for Healthcare Professionals course. The Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS; Evans-Lacko et al., 2010), Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC; Modgill, Patten, Knaak, Kassam, & Szeto, 2014), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale Form C (M-C SDS Form C; Reynolds, 1982) was administered at baseline (T1), a mid-semester assessment (T2), and post-intervention (T3) to 176 students. Post-intervention changes in stigma components (knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intent) were mixed for all groups. Knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intent did not predict whether students screened for suicidal ideation (p > .05). Findings from the present study support past research indicating that the stigma can be improved with appropriate intervention. Findings also support interprofessional training as an appropriate context for anti-stigma interventions. Currently, there is no general consensus regarding the best method and combination of tools to measure stigma among healthcare students. Additionally, the relationship between stigma and screening for suicidal ideation is an important area for further scientific inquiry.

Master of Arts / Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work / Dana M. Britton / Even after 28 years the AIDS epidemic continues to affect the American population and HIV/AIDS remains a social problem. Living with HIV affects every aspect of an individual’s life. It involves a personal negotiation at the onset of diagnosis, a social negotiation when one decides to disclose to others, and finally, a communal negotiation when individuals seek formal support via ASOs (AIDS service organizations), and/or informal support through family members and friends. The purpose of this research is to investigate these negotiations over the course of HIV infection, how these processes inform decisions to disclose, how stigma influences lived experiences, and the importance of the HIV community. The data come from eighteen HIV+ individuals, ten men and eight women, living in various locations throughout the Midwest. Drawing on the experiences of these men and women, I explore reactions after diagnosis, disclosure patterns, experiences of stigma, and the importance of the HIV community.

Despite the availability of services, parents on antiretroviral treatment do not routinely get their children HIV tested and treated. The study aimed to document knowledge, attitudes and practices of parents towards HIV testing and treatment among children aged 0-14 years. A quantitative cross-sectional analytic study design was applied and a structured questionnaire used to collect data from 192 respondents. Findings show that 71.4% of respondents had correct knowledge of HIV transmission in children. Negative attitudes towards HIV testing of children were expressed by 42.2% of respondents while practices were reported by 16.7%. Practices were associated with self-efficacy, stigma, number of children and marital status. Knowledge and attitudes did not affect parental practices of HIV testing of children. Parents with low self-efficacy felt stigmatised, had negative attitudes, poor perception of availability of services and were unlikely to get children HIV tested. Recommendations to increase HIV testing among children included provision of skills and support to parents for HIV disclosure; localized care models to reduce stigma and identify children in need; and improving quality of services. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

In any year, one in four British adults will experience a mental disorder (Singleton, Bumpstead, O’Brien, Lee, & Meltzer, 2001), but barriers to accessing treatment remain, one being fear of stigmatization. In this study perceptions of the stigma associated with mental illness were experimentally manipulated and perceived public stigma of help-seeking, attitudes to mental illness, self-stigma, and attitudes to help-seeking were measured. Results indicated that lowering perceived social stigma of mental illness reduced perceived public stigma attached to help-seeking, but also resulted in less positive attitudes to help-seeking, when compared to a neutral condition. The relationship between perceived societal stigma of mental illness and attitudes to help-seeking was mediated by perceived public stigma of seeking psychological help. This research raises questions about the effect of anti-stigma campaigns, which aim to change perceptions about stigma but may have a negative effect on attitudes to help-seeking.

Depression är ett omfattande lidande och räknas som en folksjukdom. Det är ett tillstånd som får svåra konsekvenser för den enskilde individen. Individen upplever ofta nedstämdhet, ångest och oföretagsamhet. Livet färgas dessutom av den dystra sinnesstämningen och tycks ha liten eller ingen mening alls. Det valda forskningsområdet är ett växande problem i samhället och många gånger upplever den drabbade skuld och skam, som en följd av den tabu som råder. Med en ökad förståelse för individens upplevelser ökar möjligheten för att denna patientgrupp får både ett bättre bemötande och en bättre vård. Syftet med studien är därför att belysa människors upplevelser av att leva med depression. Studien är en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats. I självbiografierna framkommer det hos samtliga författare hur depressionen skapar ett omfattande lidande som påverkar förmågan att leva ett fullgott liv. Depressionen skapar känslor av skuld och skam, destruktiva tankar, social isolering och en plågsam oförmåga att hantera vardagslivet. När livet upplevdes som allra mörkast, var det vanligt att ta till diverse metoder för att hantera situationen. Det kunde handla om självmedicinering, överkonsumtion av alkohol eller att skada sig själv. Samtliga författare upplevde dessutom att det fanns en bristande förståelse för deras situation från omgivningen. Det blir tydligt att det finns en stark stigmatisering kring depression som försvårar livet för den drabbade. Den bristande förståelsen kunde skapa en känsla av utanförskap och individen drog sig många gånger undan från omgivningen.