Lauren Gonzales1, Philip T Yanos1, Ana Stefancic1, Mary Jane Alexander1, Brianna Harney-Delehanty1. 1. When this work was done, Dr. Gonzales was at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, New York, where Dr. Yanos is affiliated. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Stefancic is with the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York. Dr. Alexander is with the Division of Social Solutions and Services Research, Nathan S. Kline Institute, Orangeburg, New York. Ms. Harney-Delehanty is with the Department of Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between neighborhood characteristics, stigma related to mental illness reported by local community members, and measures of perceived stigma and community participation among individuals with psychiatric disabilities living in independent scattered-site housing or in congregate housing in three neighborhoods in the New York City metropolitan area. METHODS: Neighborhood characteristics were drawn from the 2010 U.S. Census. Surveys focusing on attitudes and intended behavior toward people with mental illness were administered to 608 general community members, and clinical interviews were conducted with 343 persons with psychiatric disabilities. RESULTS: Of neighborhood characteristics, both greater socioeconomic disadvantage and more "suburban values" (lower housing density and greater political conservativism) predicted more perpetrated stigma reported by community members. There was no significant relationship between stigma reported by community members and perceived stigma among participants with psychiatric disabilities. Community stigma predicted vocational involvement and demonstrated interaction effects with housing, such that persons living in congregate housing demonstrated more community participation in communities with more stigma, whereas persons living in scattered-site housing demonstrated less participation in these communities. Perceived stigma was significantly negatively related to community participation. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that effects of neighborhood characteristics and community stigma on people with psychiatric disabilities are complex and are partly conditioned by housing context.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the association between neighborhood characteristics, stigma related to mental illness reported by local community members, and measures of perceived stigma and community participation among individuals with psychiatric disabilities living in independent scattered-site housing or in congregate housing in three neighborhoods in the New York City metropolitan area. METHODS: Neighborhood characteristics were drawn from the 2010 U.S. Census. Surveys focusing on attitudes and intended behavior toward people with mental illness were administered to 608 general community members, and clinical interviews were conducted with 343 persons with psychiatric disabilities. RESULTS: Of neighborhood characteristics, both greater socioeconomic disadvantage and more "suburban values" (lower housing density and greater political conservativism) predicted more perpetrated stigma reported by community members. There was no significant relationship between stigma reported by community members and perceived stigma among participants with psychiatric disabilities. Community stigma predicted vocational involvement and demonstrated interaction effects with housing, such that persons living in congregate housing demonstrated more community participation in communities with more stigma, whereas persons living in scattered-site housing demonstrated less participation in these communities. Perceived stigma was significantly negatively related to community participation. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that effects of neighborhood characteristics and community stigma on people with psychiatric disabilities are complex and are partly conditioned by housing context.
Entities:
Keywords:
Community Participation; Neighborhood; Stigma
Authors: Vishal Bhavsar; Jyoti Sanyal; Rashmi Patel; Hitesh Shetty; Sumithra Velupillai; Robert Stewart; Matthew Broadbent; James H MacCabe; Jayati Das-Munshi; Louise M Howard Journal: BJPsych Open Date: 2020-07-16