Stigma by association among alcohol and other drug and harm reduction workers: Implications for workplace outcomes

INTRODUCTION

The negative attitudes people hold towards those who use alcohol or other drugs (AOD) can also affect the people who work with this community, leading to lowered productivity and wellbeing. The impact of this stigma by association in the AOD and harm reduction sector is particularly significant because workers may have lived experience of AOD use and identify strongly with their client group. This study aimed to examine how stigma by association among health workers in the AOD/harm reduction sector relates to workplace outcomes. A secondary aim was to explore how lived experience influences experiences of stigma by association.

METHODS

The research used a cross-sectional survey design and data collection occurred in 2023. Australian AOD/harm reduction workers (n = 228) completed an online survey assessing stigma by association as well as various workplace outcomes measures.

RESULTS

Participants who reported experiencing more stigma by association experienced poorer workplace wellbeing, higher burnout and greater intentions to leave the AOD/harm reduction field. Experiences of stigma by association were unrelated to job satisfaction. Additional analyses revealed that participants with lived experience reported higher levels of job satisfaction and lowered intentions to leave the sector, but findings of stigma by association and its impacts on workplace outcomes did not differ from those without lived experience.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Identifying staff experiences of stigma by association and developing support and advocacy mechanisms to address this is likely to be key to reducing these experiences and ultimately to increasing positive workplace outcomes for AOD and harm reduction staff.

Pancultural nostalgia in action: Prevalence, triggers, and psychological functions of nostalgia across cultures

Nostalgia is a social, self-relevant, and bittersweet (although mostly positive) emotion that arises when reflecting on fond past memories and serves key psychological functions. The majority of evidence concerning the prevalence, triggers, and functions of nostalgia has been amassed in samples from a handful of largely Western cultures. If nostalgia is a fundamental psychological resource, it should perform similar functions across cultures, although its operational dynamics may be shaped by culture. This study (N = 2,606) examined dispositional nostalgia, self-reported triggers of nostalgia, and functions of experimentally induced nostalgia in young adults across 28 countries and a special administrative region of China (i.e., Hong Kong). Results indicated that nostalgia is frequently experienced across cultures, albeit better valued in more-developed countries (i.e., higher national wealth and life-expectancy). Nostalgia is triggered by psychological threats (especially in warmer countries), sensory stimuli (especially in more-developed countries), and social gatherings (especially in less-developed countries). The positive or negative affect prompted by experimentally induced nostalgia varied by country, but was mild overall. More importantly, recalling a nostalgic (vs. ordinary) memory increased social connectedness, self-continuity, and meaning in life across cultures. In less-developed countries, recalling an ordinary memory also conferred some of these functions, reducing the effect size of nostalgia. Finally, recalling a nostalgic (vs. ordinary) memory augmented state satisfaction with life in countries with lower quality of living (i.e., lower life-expectancy and life-satisfaction). Overall, findings confirm the relevance of nostalgia across a wide range of cultures and indicate cultural nuances in its functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Interactions across the ages: How concerns about warmth and competence impact age-based stereotype threat in the workplace

Although the disengagement consequences of age-based stereotype threat in the workplace are well-documented, it is less clear what causes employees to experience age-based stereotype threat. Based on socioemotional selectivity theory, the present study examines whether and why daily cross-age interactions in the workplace lead to stereotype threat. Using a diary study design over 2 weeks, 192 employees (86 employees aged 30 and younger; 106 employees aged 50 and older), completed 3570 reports on daily interactions with coworkers. Results showed that both younger and older employees experienced stereotype threat when they engaged in cross-age interactions compared to interactions with people of a similar age. The characteristics of cross-age interactions that led employees to experience stereotype threat differed by age, however. Consistent with socioemotional selectivity theory, cross-age interactions were problematic for younger employees to the degree that they triggered concerns about competence, whereas concerns about warmth led to stereotype threat among older employees. Daily stereotype threat was associated with reduced feelings of workplace belonging for both younger and older employees but, contrary to expectations, stereotype threat was not related to energy and stress. These findings suggest that cross-age interactions can lead to stereotype threat for both younger and older employees, particularly when younger employees worry they are perceived as incompetent or older employees worry they are perceived as less warm. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The cognitive tenacity of self-directed ageism

Ageism refers to prejudice or discrimination based on a person's age. When ageism is directed at older people, it is unique in two ways: it is socially condoned in a manner that other types of prejudice are not, and the animus is eventually self-directed. Of central interest here is why ageism becomes self-directed in late adulthood, despite its potentially harmful personal costs. We present a cognitive model in which negative ageist beliefs become increasingly accessible and difficult to eliminate owing to broader developmental shifts in mentation. Given that these effects are contingent on our social environment, systemic changes in societal conceptions of age and aging are needed if we are to reduce vulnerability to self-directed ageism.

The antecedents and consequences of stereotype threat in Parkinson's disease

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to examine what factors make people with Parkinson's disease more susceptible to stereotype threat (i.e., the concern of being evaluated in line with negative group-based stereotypes) and the clinical consequences of this.

METHOD

Forty-nine people with Parkinson's disease completed a measure of stereotype threat, as well as measures that indexed potential antecedents and clinical consequences of stereotype threat.

RESULTS

Younger age and greater communication difficulties emerged as significant predictors of stereotype threat. Higher stereotype threat was also associated with increased emotional distress.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings are an important first step in understanding stereotype threat in Parkinson's disease and may help to guide the development of intervention and educational efforts aimed at countering its effects.

Lived Experience as a Protective Factor for Mental Health Workers

OBJECTIVE

When clients do not seem to be improving, mental health workers have more negative job attitudes, experience higher levels of client-related burnout, and are more interested in leaving the field. Nonetheless, it is unclear whether all mental health workers are equally susceptible to burnout caused by feelings that their clients are not improving. Specifically, people with lived experience of mental illness are intimately familiar with their own recovery challenges and thus may be less susceptible to this source of burnout.

METHODS

To test this possibility, mental health providers (N=179) from a nongovernmental community mental health organization in Australia completed a survey assessing their perceptions of client improvement from treatment, their feelings of client-related burnout, and a range of organizational outcomes (job satisfaction, job engagement, workplace well-being, and intentions to resign).

RESULTS

Moderated mediation analyses revealed that although mental health providers who felt that their clients were not improving experienced client-related burnout, lived experience served as a buffer. Staff with lived experience were less susceptible to burnout associated with perceptions that their clients were not improving from treatment. Mental health providers with lived experience also reported more positive job attitudes compared with providers without lived experience.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the high rates of burnout in the mental health profession, future research should examine why lived experience appears to buffer staff from burnout when they believe that their clients are not improving. This knowledge could aid in the development of interventions to boost resilience, engagement, and longevity in the field.

"Let's get physical" - or social: The role of physical activity versus social group memberships in predicting depression and anxiety over time

BACKGROUND

Physical activity is often promoted as a way to prevent and combat anxiety and depression in adolescents. However, very little research has sought to establish whether the benefits of exercise arise from the excercise itself or from the social context in which it takes place. We explore the hypothesis that it is not physical activity on its own, but rather adolescents' engagement in group life (as part of a sports group or otherwise), that accounts for positive mental health effects associated with physical activity.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We conducted a longitudinal study that tracked 558 high-school boys and found that anxiety and depression over time was not predicted by (a) T1 physical fitness as determined by 7 speed and agility tests, or (b) engaging in multiple sports as co-curricular activies at T1. In contrast, multiple group memberships - irrespective of the activity - predicted reduced depression and anxiety over time, particularly when these were groups that adolescents identified with and experienced as compatible with each other.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations relate to (a) physical fitness only being measured at T1, (b) the absence of a measure of frequency and duration of physical activity, and (c) the homogeneity of the sample.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that group memberships and the social identities that adolescents derive from these groups (including, but not restricted to, those involving sport) function as a psychological resource to reduce anxiety and depression over time.

No evidence that implicit identification with mental illness predicts recovery

OBJECTIVES

Recovery from mental illness is multiply-determined, but one factor that has been proposed to influence recovery is the degree to which the person identifies as someone with a mental illness. This study examines the relationship between implicit identification with being mentally unwell and recovery among clients of a community mental health service. A multi-faceted view of recovery was adopted.

METHODS

A longitudinal design was used to assess implicit identification with mental illness and its relationship to recovery, including symptom severity, well-being, life satisfaction, and optimism, which were supplemented with ratings by both support workers and the research assistants who conducted the study. Participants were 216 community mental health care clients, with 150 retested at Time 2, and 100 retested at Time 3.

RESULTS

Implicit identification with mental illness was correlated with recovery at Time 1 and Time 3, though this relationship did not emerge at Time 2. Cross-lag regression analyses failed to reveal evidence that implicit identification with mental illness predicts subsequent recovery.

CONCLUSIONS

The current research suggests that implicit identification with mental illness can be considered a marker of ongoing recovery, but is not predictive of subsequent recovery. Hence, these data suggest that implicit identification with mental illness is unlikely to play an independent role in the recovery process.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

Research regarding the mental health consequences of implicit identification focuses on symptomatology. Recovery is more than a reduction in symptoms, however, and thus, a broader conceptualization of recovery was examined. Implicit identification with being mentally unwell was associated with poorer recovery broadly operationalized, but did not predict subsequent recovery.

Improving the Quality of Bowel Preparation: Rewarding Patients for Success or Intensive Patient Education?

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

The quality of the bowel preparation is a critical parameter for the outcome of colonoscopies. It is well established that the bowel preparation modality (e.g., split or larger volume preparation) significantly improves the quality of the bowel preparation. Patient compliance is another important factor impacting on the quality of bowel preparations that receives relatively little research attention. We aimed to explore if intensified education or a lottery ticket as reward for good bowel preparation could improve outcomes.

METHODS

After informed consent, all patients received a standardized printed information booklet. In a randomized fashion, patients were offered (a) a lottery scratchy ticket with an opportunity to win $25,000 as "reward" for good bowel preparation, (b) an education session delivered over the phone by a trained nurse, or (c) no additional measure.

RESULTS

Overall, the quality of the bowel preparation was rated good or very good in 69.1% (95% CI 61.7-75.7%) of patients. Reward intervention did not influence the quality of bowel preparation (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.09-1.91, p = 0.260); however, bowel preparation quality decreased in patients randomized to receive the additional education (OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.08-0.96, p = 0.042). Neither intervention significantly impacted on polyp detection rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Contrasting general beliefs, additional interventions (e.g., incentives or phone consultation) did not improve the quality of the bowel preparation. The unexpected result shows that utilizing extra resources must be balanced against real-world outcomes and may not always provide the expected result.

Identification with drug use among young adults who are at risk of transitioning to more serious use

Understanding the drug use trajectories for at risk young adults can help reduce harms associated with serious drug use. This longitudinal study tracked young people to assess whether implicit and explicit identification with substance use predicts changes in use over time and whether patterns of use impacts identification with drugs. Two hundred and twenty-eight participants were initially recruited from homeless shelters, youth centers, drug health services, and parks where young people who use drugs are known to frequent. Over a 20-month period, 78 of these original participants were successfully recontacted and surveyed again. The survey assessed implicit and explicit identification with drug use, along with known risk factors, to determine if identification predicts changes in drug use over time as assessed by frequency, recency, and multiple drug use. Results revealed that implicit and explicit identification with drug use were stronger among participants who used more frequently, more recently, and used multiple drugs, although this finding only emerged cross-sectionally and not longitudinally. Overall, these results suggest that patterns of drug use are associated with the identity of the individual and that identification with drug use is a marker of drug-using behavior, but identification with drug use does not appear to be predictive of future behavior nor an outcome of prior drug use.

Perceived inability to help is associated with client-related burnout and negative work outcomes among community mental health workers

Community mental health is a vital service, but it faces ongoing challenges from its high staff-turnover rates. The current study provides a preliminary test of a novel explanation for employee disengagement in community mental health. It is proposed that providing assistance to clients, while simultaneously feeling that only limited progress is being made, is associated with client-related burnout among community mental health providers, leading to negative work outcomes. Employees (N = 349) from three non-governmental community mental health organisations in Australia completed a survey assessing their perceptions of client improvement from treatment, client-related burnout and a range of organisational outcomes. Analyses revealed that perceptions that clients are not improving was associated with burnout, which in turn is related to lower job satisfaction, decreased job engagement, poorer workplace well-being, and increased turnover intentions. These findings suggest that interventions that highlight positive changes among clients could reinforce the important service provided by community mental health employees and may minimise burnout and negative work outcomes.

An empirical study of how emotion dysregulation and social cognition relate to occupational burnout in dentistry

Introduction Dentists are frequently exposed to occupational stressors, including emotionally tense interactions with patients who are experiencing pain, anxiety and fear. Unsurprisingly, dentists are also a group that experience particularly high levels of occupational burnout. The present study provides the first empirical test of whether occupational burnout is higher, and general wellbeing is lower, for dental practitioners and students who have greater difficulties managing their own emotions (emotion dysregulation) and detecting and interpreting social cues from others (social cognitive difficulties).Materials and methods Ninety-six dental practitioners and 54 dental students completed validated measures of emotion regulation, social cognitive function, occupational burnout and wellbeing.Results Consistent with broader literature, rates of burnout were significantly higher in both dental practitioners and students, relative to normative standards. Importantly, the results also identified significant associations between rates of burnout with both emotion dysregulation, as well as one of the measures of social cognitive function: the empathic disposition to experience discomfort in response to the distress of others (personal distress). Ratings of emotion dysregulation and personal distress were also significantly higher for dental students relative to practitioners.Conclusion These data highlight the importance of being able to effectively manage difficult emotions in the dental practice.

For Better or Worse: Facebook Use and Wellbeing Among Community Mental Health Care Clients

Online social networking is ubiquitous, but research regarding its relationship to wellbeing has yielded contradictory results. This study examined the relationship between Facebook use and wellbeing among community mental health service clients. Twenty-six clients from a community mental health service provided access to their Facebook page. Seven aspects of 3674 Facebook posts were coded, and cross-lagged multilevel models were estimated over three periods to establish the relationship between Facebook use and wellbeing over time. Some aspects of Facebook use were related to wellbeing within the same period, although this pattern of relationships did not emerge longitudinally. Although Facebook has the potential to forge social connections for those who are socially isolated, Facebook use was neither helpful nor harmful over time among people with mental health problems. Given the prevalence of social networking, a clearer understanding of its impact on wellbeing is critical for mental health providers.

Age-based stereotype threat and work outcomes: Stress appraisals and rumination as mediators

Both older and younger employees experience age-based stereotype threat in the workplace, but only older employees appear to be vulnerable to disengagement as a consequence. The present study examines 2 mechanisms that might explain this age difference: (a) stress appraisals of challenge and hindrance and (b) rumination. Using a weekly diary study design over 5 weeks, 280 employees across the life span (aged between 18 and 66 years), completed 1,288 weekly surveys. Work outcomes examined were job satisfaction, job engagement, affective organizational commitment, workplace well-being, and intentions to quit. Results showed that while both older and younger employees experienced age-based stereotype threat, it was uniquely problematic for older employees. Furthermore, challenge appraisals mediated the relationships between age-based stereotype threat and job engagement, commitment, and intentions to quit among older, but not younger, employees. Rumination mediated the relationships between age-based stereotype threat and job satisfaction, commitment, well-being, and intentions to quit among older, but not younger, employees. These findings suggest that stereotype threat might be detrimental to work outcomes because older employees are less likely to appraise stereotype threat as a challenge, and more likely to ruminate when they experience stereotype threat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Attitudes of people working in mental health non-governmental organisations in Australia: A comparison with other mental health professionals

Research suggests that stigma impacts help-seeking behaviour and health outcomes for people affected by mental illness. This study compared the attitudes of Australian non-governmental organisation support workers towards people with mental illness with those of other health professionals. Three hundred and seventy four support workers were randomly allocated to answer questions about one of the six vignettes. Results indicated that non-governmental organisation support workers held more positive attitudes towards people with mental illness than those of general practitioners, psychiatrists and psychologists measured in prior research. These results suggest that non-governmental organisations may be a more positive and comfortable entry and referral point for mental health clients.

Implicit and explicit internalized stigma: Relationship with risky behaviors, psychosocial functioning and healthcare access among people who inject drugs

INTRODUCTION

People who inject drugs (PWID) are stigmatized by society. Over time people may begin to internalize the stigma about their group. This research examines how implicit and explicit internalized stigma among PWID relates to health care and treatment access, psychosocial functioning, and engagement in risky behaviors.

METHODS

PWID were recruited from a needle and syringe program (NSP) located in Sydney, Australia. Participants completed a survey examining explicit and implicit internalized stigma, risky behaviors (e.g., sharing injecting equipment, unprotected sex), health care and treatment access (e.g., comfort attending NSPs), and psychosocial functioning (e.g., mental health). Detailed demographic variables were also collected.

RESULTS

A total of 115 clients completed the measures. To the degree that participants had internalized the stigma about their group (measured explicitly), they felt less comfortable attending NSPs, had greater severity of dependence, and experienced more depressive symptoms. The implicit measure of internalized stigma was related to treatment engagement and needle sharing, although the direction of these effects was unexpected.

CONCLUSIONS

This research highlights the importance of ongoing research into the implications of internalized stigma for PWID. Assessing both explicit and implicit internalized stigma appears to be beneficial as these are related to different health and behavioral outcomes.

Stereotype threat and social function in opioid substitution therapy patients

OBJECTIVES

People with a history of substance abuse are subject to widespread stigmatization. It seems likely that this societal disapproval will result in feelings of stereotype threat, or the belief that one is the target of demeaning stereotypes. If so, stereotype threat has the potential to contribute to functional difficulties including poor social outcomes.

METHODS

Eighty drug users on opioid substitution therapy and 84 demographically matched controls completed measures of mental health and social function. The opioid substitution therapy group were additionally asked to complete a measure that focused on their feelings of stereotype threat in relation to their drug use history. Bivariate correlations and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to establish the magnitude and specificity of the relationship between stereotype threat and social functioning.

RESULTS

Relative to controls, the opioid substitution therapy group reported higher levels of negative affect and schizotypy, and poorer social functioning, with all three of these indices significantly correlated with their feelings of stereotype threat. The results also showed that stereotype threat contributed significant unique variance to social functioning in the opioid substitution therapy group, even after taking into account other background, clinical, and mental health variables.

CONCLUSIONS

Social functioning is an important aspect of recovery, yet these data indicate that people with a history of drug abuse who believe they are the target of stereotypical attitudes have poorer social functioning. This relationship holds after controlling for the impact of other variables on social functioning, including mental health. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

PRACTITIONER POINTS

Concerns about being stereotyped can shape the social experiences of opioid substitution therapy patients. Opioid substitution therapy patients who feel negatively stereotyped experience greater social function deficits, and this relationship emerges after controlling for important clinical and mental health variables. Understanding the relationship between feeling stereotyped and social function may assist practitioners in their treatment. The study is cross-sectional, and thus, experimental or longitudinal research is required to determine the causal direction between stereotype threat and social function.

Stereotype Threat and Perceptions of Family-Friendly Policies among Female Employees

In their efforts to recruit and retain female employees, organizations often attempt to make their workplaces "family-friendly." Yet there is little research on how women view family-friendly policies, particularly women who experience gender-based stereotype threat, or the concern of being viewed through the lens of gender stereotypes at work. Pilot research with female managers (N = 169) showed that women who experienced stereotype threat perceived more negative career consequences for utilizing family-friendly policies. We then conducted two studies to further probe this relationship. Study 1 replicated the relationship between stereotype threat and the perceived consequences of utilizing family-friendly policies among women who recently returned to work after the birth of a child (N = 65). In Study 2 (N = 473), female employees who reported feelings of stereotype threat perceived more negative consequences of utilizing family-friendly policies, but they also reported greater intentions to use these policies. Our findings suggest that female employees are susceptible to stereotype threat, which in turn is associated with more negative views of family-friendly policies. Thus, the mere provision of such policies may not create the kind of family-friendly workplaces that organizations are attempting to provide.

Internalized Stigma Among People Who Inject Drugs

BACKGROUND

Perceived experiences of stigma have been found to be associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes and engagement in risk practices among people who inject drugs. Yet the extent to which people internalize or accept the stigma surrounding their injecting drug use, and whether this is associated with risky injecting practices, is not well known.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to assess the extent of internalized stigma among a sample of people who inject drugs in Australia and identify socio-demographic, injecting risk, and mental health correlates.

METHODS

People who inject drugs were recruited from a needle and syringe program located in Sydney, Australia to complete a brief survey. The survey included measures of internalized stigma, severity of drug dependence, self-esteem, depression, and shared use of injecting equipment.

RESULTS

The sample comprised 102 people who inject drugs. Internalized stigma was higher among participants who reported being depressed in the past month, and was also associated with greater severity of drug dependence and diminished self-esteem. There was no relationship between internalized stigma and shared use of needles or other injecting equipment in the past month. Conclusions/Importance: Findings underscore the need for further investigation of internalized stigma among people who inject drugs. In particular, future research should assess the impact of implicit (i.e., subconscious) internalized stigma on mental health.

Health workers' support for hepatitis C treatment uptake among clients with a history of injecting

Hepatitis C virus is stigmatised because of its association with injecting drug use. Although treatment is available, uptake remains low, especially among people who inject drugs. Ninety health workers completed a survey assessing attitudes towards people who inject drugs and support for treatment for three client scenarios: one who stopped injecting, one on methadone, and one continuing to inject. Support for hepatitis C virus treatment was significantly higher, where the client was not injecting. Participants who showed more negative attitudes towards people who inject drugs were less supportive of clients entering hepatitis C virus treatment, illustrating the influence of health workers' attitudes in determining treatment options offered to clients.

Stereotype Threat Among Women in Finance

Because women are in the minority in masculine fields like finance and banking, women in these fields may experience stereotype threat or the concern about being negatively stereotyped in their workplace. Research demonstrates that stereotype threat among women in management and accounting leads to negative job attitudes and intentions to quit via its effects on identity separation, or the perception that one’s gender identity is incompatible with one’s work identity. The current work extends this research to related outcomes among women in finance. In this study, 512 women working in finance completed a survey about their work environment, their well-being at work, and whether they would recommend the field of finance to younger women. Results showed that, to the extent women experienced stereotype threat in their work environment, they reported diminished well-being at work and were less likely to recommend their field to other women, and these outcomes were mediated by identity separation. Recruitment and retention of women into fields where they have been historically underrepresented is key to achieving the “critical mass” of women necessary to reduce perceptions of tokenism as well as stereotyping and devaluing of women. The current work sheds light on psychological factors that affect these outcomes.

Is Stereotype Threat a Useful Construct for Organizational Psychology Research and Practice?

Stereotypes about different groups persist in organizations. Employees from such groups may experience stereotype threat, or the concern that they are being judged on the basis of demeaning stereotypes about groups to which they belong. The goal of this focal article is to discuss whether stereotype threat is a useful construct for organizational psychology research and practice. To this end, we focus on consequences other than acute performance deficits in laboratory settings. In particular, we examine studies that highlight the effects of stereotype threat on intrapersonal outcomes (e.g., job attitudes), interpersonal outcomes (e.g., negotiation), and on the relationship between employees and their organization. The research reviewed suggests that stereotype threat is a potentially important phenomenon in organizations, but it also highlights the paucity of research in an organizational context. We provide suggestions for future research directions as well as for the prevention and amelioration of stereotype threat in the workplace.

Discrimination by health care workers versus discrimination by others: countervailing forces on HCV treatment intentions

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health burden. Despite recent advances in HCV treatment, uptake remains low, particularly amongst people who inject drugs. HCV-related stigma and discrimination are common, especially within the health care sector. This research examines a more nuanced approach for how HCV-related stigma and discrimination impacts treatment access and uptake. Based on a social identity framework, we explore whether perceived HCV-related discrimination is associated with attempts to remove the stigma of being HCV-positive via HCV treatment intentions. Based on the results of prior research it was also hypothesised that the source of discrimination (health care workers versus others), and whether the discrimination is perceived to be directed to oneself or to the HCV-positive group, will differentially impact treatment intentions. The sample consisted of 416 people living with HCV in New South Wales, Australia, who acquired HCV from injecting drugs. Participants were asked about their experiences of perceived discrimination directed towards themselves versus their HCV-positive group and perceived discrimination within the health care sector. Findings indicate that discrimination towards the self is a more powerful indicator of treatment intentions than discrimination aimed at the HCV-positive group. This finding is consistent with social identity theory suggesting that people from low status groups are motivated to change their stigmatised status when it is possible to do so. The source of the perceived discrimination also matters, however, as participants who report experiencing discrimination from health workers have lowered intentions to engage with HCV treatment in the future. In combination, the results indicate that while perceived discrimination is commonly understood to act as a barrier to treatment uptake, the relationship is actually more complex than previously conceptualised.

The impact of pluralistic ignorance on the provision of health care for people who inject drugs

Health workers who work with people who inject drugs may believe that their colleagues hold less favorable attitudes toward health services for people who inject drugs than themselves—a phenomenon termed pluralistic ignorance. This research explores whether the presumed attitudes of their colleagues, rather than their own attitudes, predict the behavioral intentions of health workers toward people who inject drugs. A total of 57 hospital-based health workers were surveyed to assess their attitudes toward harm reduction services for people who inject drugs and their perceptions of colleagues’ attitudes. They then responded to a scenario assessing their likelihood of prescribing opiate-based medication to people who inject drugs. Data illustrate that participants support harm reduction services for people who inject drugs more than they believe their colleagues do, demonstrating pluralistic ignorance. Interestingly, participants’ prescription of opiate-based pain medication was predicted by beliefs about their colleagues’ support for services for people who inject drugs, rather than their own beliefs.

Stereotype threat among older employees: relationship with job attitudes and turnover intentions

Stereotype threat, or the belief that one may be the target of demeaning stereotypes, leads to acute performance decrements and reduced psychological well-being. The current research examined stereotype threat among older employees, a group that is the target of many negative stereotypes. Study 1 surveyed older workers in two different organizations regarding their experiences of stereotype threat, their job attitudes and work mental health, and their intentions to resign or retire. Across both samples, feelings of stereotype threat were related to more negative job attitudes and poorer work mental health. In turn, these negative job attitudes were associated with intentions to resign and (possibly) retire. In Study 2, younger and older employees were surveyed. The results indicated that only for older employees were feelings of stereotype threat negatively related to job attitudes, work mental health, and intentions to resign. The implications of these findings for understanding job attitudes and intentions among older workers are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

Stereotype Threat and Female Communication Styles

A large body of research has documented the performance-debilitating effects of stereotype threat for individuals, but there is a paucity of research exploring interpersonal consequences of stereotype threat. Two experiments tested the hypothesis that stereotype threat would change the style in which women communicate. Results indicate that women who experience stereotype threat regarding leadership abilities react against the stereotype by adopting a more masculine communication style. Study 2 provides evidence that self-affirmation eliminates this effect of stereotype threat on women’s communication styles. A third study demonstrates an ironic consequence of this effect of stereotype threat on women’s communication—when women under stereotype threat adopt a more masculine communication style, they are rated as less warm and likeable, and evaluators indicate less willingness to comply with their requests. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Perceptions of discriminatory treatment by staff as predictors of drug treatment completion: utility of a mixed methods approach

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

Staff interactions with their clients are an important factor in the quality of care that is provided to people in drug treatment. Yet there is very little research that addresses staff attitudes or clients' perceptions of discrimination and prejudice by staff with regard to treatment outcomes. This research aimed to assess whether perceptions of discrimination by staff predict drug treatment completion.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study used a mixed methods approach. Ninety-two clients in residential rehabilitation facilities in Sydney were administered a series of quantitative measures assessing drug history, severity of drug use, treatment history, perceptions of staff discrimination and treatment motivation. Clients were followed up regularly until an outcome (dropout or completion) was obtained for the full sample.

RESULTS

Perceptions of discrimination were a significant predictor of treatment completion, with greater perceived discrimination associated with increased dropout. Qualitative interviews with 13 clients and eight health-care workers from these treatment services were then conducted to gain insight into how perceived discrimination may impact on treatment experiences. Clients and staff discussed how they would address the issue of perceived discrimination during the current treatment experience.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Adopting a mixed methods approach facilitated exploration of the impact of perceived discrimination on treatment from both clients' and health-care workers' perspectives. This methodology may also enhance interpretation and utilisation of these findings in drug treatment.

Identity Separation in Response to Stereotype Threat

Despite widespread evidence for the performance costs of stereotype threat, little research has examined other psychological consequences, such as disengagement or disidentification. The present studies investigated such consequences of stereotype threat for women working at major international firms. Study 1 found that female leaders who experienced stereotype threat separated their feminine identities from their work-related (i.e., more masculine) identity. Study 2 extended this finding by demonstrating that even when the feminine identity comprised those characteristics that serve women well in the workplace (e.g., being understanding and aware of the feelings of others), female employees still engaged in identity separation after experiences of stereotype threat. These results suggest that stereotype threat is an ongoing concern in the workplace, and they provide evidence for psychological consequences of stereotype threat.

Stereotype threat contributes to social difficulties in people with schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

The experience of stereotype threat (where the prospect of conforming to a stereotype, or of being treated in terms of it, becomes self-threatening) affects members of social groups about whom devaluing stereotypes exist. Although a widely endorsed stereotype of schizophrenia concerns social skill impairment, it is unclear whether the experience of stereotype threat impacts social functioning in this group. The purpose of the present study was to test whether people with schizophrenia would perform more poorly in a social setting in which they felt stereotyped as mentally ill.

METHODS

Thirty individuals with schizophrenia engaged in conversations with two confederates, one of whom they were told knew nothing about them (control conversation), and the other of whom they were told had been informed of their diagnosis (stereotype threat conversation). In reality, neither confederate had been informed of participants' mental health status.

RESULTS

Although participants with schizophrenia did not perceive any differences in their own social behaviour across the two conditions, their social skill was rated by the confederates as poorer in the stereotype threat conversation on three out of the six measures used.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that social skill difficulties in people with schizophrenia may be exacerbated by their awareness that others know of their diagnosis. These findings have implications for disclosure of mental health status.

Stereotype threat increases the likelihood that female drivers in a simulator run over jaywalkers

Stereotype threat, or the belief that one may be the target of demeaning stereotypes, leads to performance disruptions in a variety of domains. Two experiments conducted in a driving simulator demonstrate that stereotype threat also disrupts control of an automobile. Women who were reminded of the stereotype that females are poor drivers were more than twice as likely to collide with jaywalking pedestrians than women who were not reminded of this stereotype. Experiment 2 also revealed that the magnitude of this effect was equivalent to that produced by a secondary task, suggesting that stereotype threat might diminish driving performance via a disruptive mental load.

Implicit Prejudice Toward Injecting Drug Users Predicts Intentions to Change Jobs Among Drug and Alcohol Nurses

The meaning and importance of implicit prejudice is a source of considerable debate. One way to advance this debate is to assess whether implicit prejudice can predict independent variance, beyond that predicted by explicit prejudice, in meaningful and unambiguous behaviors or behavioral intentions. In the current research, drug and alcohol nurses reported their level of stress working with injecting drug users, their job satisfaction, their explicit prejudice toward injecting drug users, and their intentions to leave drug and alcohol nursing. The nurses also completed the Single Category Implicit Association Test, which measured their implicit prejudice toward injecting drug users. Analyses revealed that implicit prejudice was a significant mediator, beyond explicit prejudice and job satisfaction, of the relation between job stress and intention to change jobs.

Coping With Stereotype Threat: Denial as an Impression Management Strategy

Four experiments tested the hypothesis that people who are concerned with impression management cope with stereotype threat through denial. Consistent with this hypothesis, temporary employees threatened by a stereotype of incompetence (Study 1) and hostel-dwelling older adults (Study 2) were more likely to deny incompetence if they were high in impression management. African Americans (Study 3) showed a similar pattern of denying cognitive incompetence, which emerged primarily when they were interviewed by a White experimenter and had attended a predominantly Black high school. In Study 4, White students who expected to take an IQ test and were threatened by a stereotype of being less intelligent than Asians were more likely to deny that intelligence is important if they were high in impression management.

Autonomic profile under hypnosis as assessed by heart rate variability and spectral analysis

To test the hypothesis of a sympathovagal balance shift towards an enhanced vagal tone under the condition of a standardized hypnosis, we used the assessment of heart rate variability including spectral analysis in 10 healthy subjects (5 female, 5 male, age ranging from 27 to 42 years). We compared the subjects under baseline condition (resting) and under hypnosis, measured on a different day, for a measuring period of five minutes for each condition. The result was reduced total power in the low frequency band (0.01-0.05 Hz) reflecting sympathetic activity. Also, the ratio of low to high frequency power (LFIHF) was reduced when under hypnosis. This reduction was due to a reduced LF component, but only a slightly reduced mid frequency component. With considerable variability, we also found activated mid frequency bands (0.05-0.15Hz) under hypnosis, likely reflecting baroreceptor activity. We conclude that the autonomic status in hypnosis is associated with a change towards reduced low frequency activity, but not necessarily with enhanced high frequency activity.