Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2010. / Title from screen (viewed on July 19, 2010). Department of Sociology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Peter Seybold, Patricia A. Wittberg, Christine Leland. Includes vitae. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-54).

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This study contributes to the research on stigma and adult literacy by giving voice to an understudied and marginalized group. It allows adults with literacy challenges to elaborate on how they accomplish everyday activities, to describe what strategies they use to manage stigma, and to tell their stories about how stigma has affected various domains of their lives. This study also explores some participants' experience with stigma during childhood and its impact on their self-esteem and self-efficacy for learning. It situates these findings in a larger social context by analyzing changes in self-concept and lifelong learning goals of adult learners who have been participating in a literacy program for at least two years.

Recently professionals and service planners have become increasingly aware of the consequences of stigma and of limited social experience for the self-concepts of people with a mental handicap. These issues have been central to the debate concerning the mainstreaming of children with special needs in ordinary schools and have become of major importance for those promoting the social integration of people with a mental handicap. However, there is little understanding of the relationship between the person's experience of stigma and his or her self-concept. Researchers have studied the self-concepts of people with a mental handicap using normative or standardised tests which produce quantitative scores. I argue that such studies provide little insight into 'handicapped' treatment and the participants' views of themselves. In contrast to these studies, the present research has followed the work of Edgerton (1967), who used intensive methods to study the relationship between the self-concepts of adult people with a mental handicap and their social circumstances. Three groups of adult people with a mild mental handicap took part in this research. The first group lived in their family home, the second group moved from their family home to liye more independently, and the third group came from a long-stay hospital. The instruments used in the research were open-ended interviews. In total 48 participants with a mild mental handicap were interviewed, and where possible, their mothers and staff were also involved. The interviews concerned the participants' experience of stigma and their views of themselves in relation to handicap and stigma. A longitudinal investigation with a sub-sample of the participants was also carried out to explore their pattern of social lives and networks. It was found that participants led socially rather segregated lives, had considerable experience of stigma and were often regarded by significant others in their lives as 'handicapped' as persons. Despite this, most of the participants in each of the three groups rejected a 'handicapped' identity. These findings are discussed with reference to several social theories of the self and previous research. The practical implications of the results for future policy and services for people with a mental handicap are also considered.

Orientador: Vitor Machado / Resumo: Essa dissertação tem como objetivo propor um método de ensino, na forma de uma sequência didática, tendo como referência metodológica a Pedagogia Histórico-Crítica, para auxiliar os professores da educação básica, particularmente da disciplina de Sociologia, a evitarem relações discriminatórias, transferidas do meio social para o ambiente escolar, as quais foram aqui chamadas de "fenômenos caóticos ressonantes". O método foi aplicado em alunos do ensino médio, de uma escola pública, no interior de São Paulo, procurando problematizar o processo de estigmatização exercido pelos alunos nativos da cidade e sofrido por estudantes de origem nordestina, resultando na melhoria da convivência entre ambos. / Abstract: This dissertation aims to propose a method of teaching in the form of a didactic sequence, having as methodological reference the Historical-Critical Pedagogy, to help teachers of basic education, particularly the discipline of Sociology, to avoid discriminatory relations, transferred from the social environment to the school environment, which are here called "resonant chaotic phenomena." The method was applied to high school students in a public school in São Paulo, seeking to problematize the stigmatization process exercised by the native students from the city and undergone by students from the Northeast, resulting in improved coexistence between them. / Mestre

This thesis aims to understand how en-wheeled women engaged in hyperfemininity as a stigma management technique in order to diminish asexualization. Grounding my work in the tradition of Goffman and symbolic interaction, I argue that women who do hyperfemininity as a stigma management technique do so in an attempt to make their identity as a woman more salient then their identity as someone who is disabled. As most of the research surrounding disability focuses on masculinity and disabled women‘s heterosexuality it is imperative to continue the expansion of scholarship at the intersection of disability and gender. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Females diagnosed with a substance use disorder (SUD) may experience more stigmatization and need more social support than males. Traditional therapeutic services provide interventions and treatment that is uniform for males and females. The available research on female substance users does not address meaningful connections and relationships with others, and its effect on overall wellness. The objective of this study was to address the importance of social support, stigmatization, and wellness. A sample of 232 females diagnosed with SUD, at least 18 years of age, responded to three instruments and a demographic form. The results of this study indicate that income and age are predictors of overall wellness and explained 12% of the variance in wellness, when using a multiple regression analysis, (adjusted R^2 = .119, p = .000). Relationship status and relationship length demonstrated significance as predictors of social support, explaining 5.6% of the variance in social support, using a multiple regression analysis, (adjusted R^2 = .056, p = .001). Number of children, age, and relationship length demonstrated significance as predictors of stigmatization, accounting for 9.4% of the variance in stigmatization, (adjusted R^2 = .094, p = .000). Social support accounted for 4.1% of the variance in stigmatization using a multiple regression analysis, (adjusted R^2 = .041, p = .001). Social support explained 39% of the variance in wellness, (adjusted R^2 = .394, p = .000). Using a hierarchical regression analysis to control for stigmatization, social support explained 44% of the variance in wellness, (adjusted R^2 = .438, p = .000). Finally, social support mediates the relationship between stigmatization and wellness, when using path analysis. This study provided support for specific treatment for females in substance abuse treatment; particularly concerning social support, stigmatization, and wellness. These females with SUD reported that social support increased wellness, correlating with decreased stigmatization. Conversely, females who experienced increased stigmatization and decreased social support also experienced decreased wellness. Social support mediated the impact of stigmatization and wellness. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Research concerning lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals has, thus far, largely focused on understanding the many ways in which stigma operates to harm their lives (e.g., Hatzenbuehler, 2011; Meyer, 2003). Conversely, little is known about the potential positive consequences of stigma among LGB individuals, and even less is known about the mechanisms that may facilitate the development of such positive consequences. Drawing on the distinct, yet related, literatures of minority stress, stress-related growth, character strengths, and well-being, a conceptual model of stigma-related strengths was developed and examined for the purpose of this study. The specific aims of the current study were designed to examine the various components of the stigma-related strengths model. Specifically, this study had six specific aims: 1) To compare self-identified LGB and heterosexual individuals on character strengths. 2) To identify the possible cognitive, affective, and interpersonal (i.e., social) mediators of the relationship between sexual identity (LGB vs. heterosexual) and character strengths. 3) To examine the relationship between perceived interpersonal LGB-related stigma and character strengths among LGB individuals. 4) To identify the possible cognitive, affective, and interpersonal (i.e., social) mediators of the relationship between perceived interpersonal stigma and character strengths among LGB individuals. 5) To investigate which character strengths serve as mediators of the relationship between perceived interpersonal LGB-related stigma and mental health among LGB individuals. 6) To explore which character strengths may mediate the relationship between perceived interpersonal LGB-related stigma and well-being among LGB individuals. A sample of 718 individuals was recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete an online (i.e., web-based) survey consisting of a set of self-report measures. Of those, 421 (59%) participants self-identified as LGB. In addition to self-identifying as either LGB or heterosexual, eligible participants had to be fluent in English, 18-60 years old, and living in United States. No significant differences in character strengths were found between LGB and heterosexual participants. Among LGB participants, an inverted U-shaped relationship was found between perceived interpersonal LGB-related stigma and five of the 24 character strengths, namely appreciation of beauty and excellence, curiosity, fairness, honesty, and kindness; these strengths were then referred to as stigma-related strengths among LGB individuals. Conversely, prudence and judgment were found to be negatively and linearly associated with perceived interpersonal LGB-related stigma. Cognitive flexibility mediated the relationship between perceived interpersonal LGB-related stigma and the five stigma-related strengths among LGB participants. Brooding mediated the relationship between perceived interpersonal stigma and both kindness and appreciation of beauty and excellence. Furthermore, suppression was found to mediate the association between perceived interpersonal stigma and kindness. Social support mediated the perceived interpersonal stigma-fairness relation. As for prudence and judgment, only cognitive flexibility was found to mediate their relationship with perceived interpersonal LGB-related stigma among LGB individuals. All five stigma-related strengths, as well as prudence and judgment, mediated the relationship between interpersonal stigma and well-being, whereas only curiosity mediated the relationship between interpersonal stigma and mental distress among LGB individuals. The findings demonstrate that moderate levels of stigma are associated with character strengths among LGB individuals. Further, findings suggest that interventions addressing LGB individuals’ engagement in cognitive flexibility, brooding, and social support will facilitate the development of their stigma-related strengths, which in turn, promote their well-being.

The current opioid epidemic is devastating our communities. The American Medical Association’s Task Force on opioid addiction has identified stigma as a primary target of intervention for mitigating this epidemic. Stigma is a mark of disgrace or being objectionable. Experiences of stigma and resulting shame serve only to fuel health inequities experienced by people with opioid addiction. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have an important role to play in mitigating this epidemic as entry-level providers in the healthcare system. The quality of that patient-provider encounter had the potential to shift intrinsic motivation to seek and maintain addiction treatment. Patient-centered care is identified as supporting therapeutic communication and is well-suited for rural EMS operations in Maine. The purpose of this research was to examine predictors of intention to provide patient-centered care to people experiencing opioid addiction and overdose (OAO) among EMS providers in the state of Maine. A cross-sectional online survey of currently licensed EMS providers offered a direct measure of intention to give patient-centered care to people experiencing OAO. Multiple regression analysis identified four predictor variables for intention: job satisfaction, exploring patient perspective, sharing information and power, and dealing with communicative challenges. The fitted model resulted in a significant R2 = .529, (F (4, 734) = 226.381, p < .001) exceeding the critical F statistic (F (4,739) = 2.384, p = .05), thus confirming the predictive value of the coefficients. Results suggested that EMS providers at all license levels will benefit from interventions that expand their knowledge of the medical definition of addiction and patient-centered care. EMS providers will also benefit from adopting approaches that support exploring the patient perspective and sharing information and power such as Motivational Interviewing and human performance strategies to develop awareness of socially conditioned biases that moderate provider attitudes. These evidence-based interventions could elevate the standard of care provided by EMS and reduce experiences of stigma in the patient-provider encounter. Reductions in stigma increase self-worth and prime motivation to seek and maintain treatment, thereby closing the treatment gap that exists for those experiencing opioid addiction in the state of Maine.

Status and stigma are fundamental to understanding the organization of social groups, including the forces that create and perpetuate inequality along multiple axes - race, ethnicity, and class, among others. One of the challenges in the discipline of sociology is that these deeply enmeshed processes are studied separately, rather than in relation to each other. This dissertation bridges the study of status and stigma through ethnographic examination of the affective, situational, and contextual interplay of status and stigma processes in urban spaces that are both exceptional and ubiquitous: the neighborhood funeral home. To study these processes, I observed and participated in the day-to-day activities of three New York City funeral homes over four years. The project contributes to three areas: ethnographic design, the literature on status and stigma processes, and to urban and cultural sociology. Whereas most ethnographic projects focus on a single subject – a community, a workplace, a profession - in isolation or a multi-sited framework, this project has different approach. The three focal funeral homes were selected based on a process rather than a population – all are located in neighborhoods in the midst of dramatic demographic transitions. To better understand and contextualize these micro interactions, I collected data and participated in activities at other levels of the funeral industry: national, state, and local. I attended funeral directors trainings and conventions, including with the largest national association, the historically black funeral directors association, and New York State’s convention. For other perspectives on New York City, I interviewed over forty funeral directors and allied professionals throughout the five boroughs. This project strives to avoid static and categorical explanations for status and stigma processes, the binaries of black and white, elite and poor, and explores life both in the middle and at the intersection. Using this multi-site design, it contributes to the research on neighborhood change and demographic transition as I distinguish between experiences common to the general process of neighborhood change while isolating those that emerge from the variation in changes specific to particular processes. This project is not only one of the most in-depth studies of the funeral industry, it also more broadly contributes to our understanding of the dynamic relationship of status and stigma, and the process and business of the monetization of cultural practices.