Explicit and implicit stigma towards peers with mental health problems in childhood and adolescence

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.