Data for: When Do Psychosocial Explanations of Psychiatric Problems Increase Stigma? Self-Report and Implicit Evidence

Background and Objectives: Biomedical explanations of psychiatric problems, compared to psychosocial explanations, may amplify psychiatric stigma. One limitation of existing research is the measurement of almost exclusively self-reported stigma. This study evaluated the stigma-related effects of biomedical versus psychosocial explanations of schizophrenia using conventional self-report and two other measurement approaches that may tap more deeply held attitudes. Methods: One hundred three undergraduates listened to a vignette describing a man with (1) schizophrenia of biomedical origin, (2) schizophrenia of psychosocial origin, or (3) diabetes. They then completed an Implicit Association Test, conventional self-report stigma measures, and projected other measures that captured perceptions of most other people’s likely impressions. Results: Participants were more likely to attribute stigmatizing views to others compared to themselves. The projected other measurement, but not the conventional self-report measurement, predicted implicit attitudes. We obtained no evidence that the psychosocial causal explanation of schizophrenia led to decreased stigma compared to the biomedical causal explanation. In fact, the psychosocial causal explanation increased stereotyped attitudes. Limitations: The absence of a schizophrenia control group complicates interpretation of biomedical versus psychosocial group comparisons. Conclusions: Psychosocial causal explanations that portray people as subject to numerous, severe stressors may evoke the cultural stereotype of the “ticking time bomb” from whom others seek safe distance.研究背景与研究目的：相较于社会心理解释，针对精神疾病问题的生物医学解释或会加剧精神病病耻感（psychiatric stigma）。当前现有研究存在一处局限：其病耻感测量几乎仅采用自我报告形式。本研究针对精神分裂症的生物医学与社会心理病因解释所引发的病耻感效应展开评估，除采用传统自我报告测量方式外，还引入了另外两种可挖掘更深层固有态度的测量方法。 研究方法：共招募103名本科生作为被试，让其聆听一则情境小故事（vignette），故事中的男性分别被描述为：1）生物医学源性精神分裂症患者；2）社会心理源性精神分裂症患者；3）糖尿病患者。随后被试完成三项任务：内隐联想测验（Implicit Association Test）、传统自我报告病耻感量表，以及投射式他人印象测量量表——该量表用于捕捉个体对多数他人可能形成的印象的感知。 研究结果：相较于自身，被试更倾向于将带有病耻感的观点归因于他人。投射式他人印象测量可预测内隐态度，而传统自我报告测量则无此预测效果。本研究未发现证据表明，相较于生物医学式病因解释，社会心理式病因解释会降低病耻感；事实上，社会心理式病因解释反而强化了刻板印象态度。 研究局限：本研究未设置精神分裂症对照组，这使得针对生物医学与社会心理组别间的比较解读变得复杂。 研究结论：若采用社会心理式病因解释，将个体描述为受诸多严重应激因素影响的群体，则可能会唤起“定时炸弹”这一文化刻板印象：即人们会刻意与这类人群保持安全距离。