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McKeague, Lynn
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McKeague, Lynn
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McKeague, Lynn
Research Output
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Publication
Using implicit measures to evaluate mental health stigma and attitudes to help-seeking
2013-12, Hennessy, Eilis, Heary, Caroline, McKeague, Lynn, Murphy, Donnchadh, O'Driscoll, Claire
Aims: The paper introduces and describes the
use of implicit measures of attitude in two separate studies. The aim of the first study was to explore
children's and adolescents' (10 to 16 years) stigmatizing responses towards
hypothetical peers with either ADHD or depression. The aim of the second was to investigate whether a brief
on-line intervention could change young adults' (18 to 25 years) attitudes
towards help-seeking for mental health problems. Methods: Implicit measures,
such as the Implicit Associations Test (IAT) do
not require research participants to overtly express their beliefs. They are used where there is a high
risk that research participants will offer socially desirable responses about
stereotypes and prejudices. In the first study, an adapted IAT, in conjunction
with questionnaires, was used to measure attitudes towards a vignette
describing a peer who had ADHD or depression. In the second study, the Single Category IAT was used to
measure young adults' attitudes towards professional help-seeking for mental
health problems. Results: The findings showed that young people were more stigmatising
towards peers with mental health problems and treatment seeking on implicit
compared to explicit measures. The patterns of responses between the measures highlights
the value of using implicit measures to enhance our understanding of such
phenomena. Conclusions: Implicit
measures may prove to be a useful tool for researchers who are interested in
stigma associated with mental health problems in young people and their
treatment. Lessons learned from
the use of implicit measures in these studies will be highlighted.
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Publication
Using implicit measures to evaluate mental health stigma and atitudes to help-seeking
2013-12-10, Hennessy, Eilis, Heary, Caroline, McKeague, Lynn, Murphy, Donnchadh, O'Driscoll, Claire
Aims:
The paper introduces and describes the use of
implicit measures of attitude in two separate studies. The aim of the first study was to
explore children's and adolescents, (10 to 16 years) stigmatizing responses
towards hypothetical peers with either ADHD or depression. The aim of the second was to
investigate whether a brief on-line intervention could change young adults, (18
to 25 years) attitudes towards help-seeking for mental health problems.
Conclusions: Implicit measures may prove to be a useful
tool for researchers who are interested in stigma associated with mental health
problems in young people and their treatment. Lessons learned from the use of implicit measures in these
studies will be highlighted.
No Thumbnail Available
Publication
Explicit and implicit stigma towards peers with mental health problems in childhood and adolescence
2012-10, O'Driscoll, Claire, Heary, Caroline, Hennessy, Eilis, McKeague, Lynn
Background: Children and adolescents with mental health problems are widely reported to
have problems with peer relationships, however, few studies have explored the way in which
these children are regarded by their peers. For example, little is known about the nature of
peer stigmatization and no published research has investigated implicit attitudes thus ensuring
that stigma is not well understood. In order to address this issue the current study explored
patterns of explicit and implicit stigmatization of peers with depression and attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: The sample was 385 children (M = 10.21 years)
and adolescents (M = 15.36 years). Participants completed a questionnaire assessing explicit
stigma towards an age and gender matched peer with ADHD or depression and another peer
with "normal issues" who were described in vignettes. They also completed a modified
version of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) that explored implicit attitudes towards the
target peers. Results: Questionnaire data indicated that the peer with ADHD was perceived
more negatively than the peer with depression on all dimensions of stigma, except perceived
dangerousness and fear. In contrast, the IAT findings suggest that some participants had more
negative views of the peer with depression than the peer with ADHD. Specifically, the
findings demonstrate that adolescent males demonstrated significantly stronger negative
implicit evaluations of depression compared to younger males and adolescent females.
Conclusions: Children and adolescents demonstrate stigmatising responses to peers with
common mental health problems. The nature and extent of these responses depends on the
type of problem and the type of measurement used. The findings highlight the importance of
using both explicit and implicit measures of stigma.