Socioeconomic status and mental illness stigma: the impact of mental illness controllability attributions and personal responsibility judgments.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has suggested that higher levels of socioeconomic status (SES) may be linked with heightened mental illness stigma (MIS). It has been posited that this link is due to the resource-rich environment high-SES individuals live in, which predisposes them to seeing the certain phenomena as being more controllable in nature than low-SES individuals. AIMS: The current study intended to address the attributional mechanisms behind the SES-MIS link. METHODS: In a sample of 932 participants, we collected self-reported SES along with the controllability attributions and personal responsibility judgments participants make for individuals with mental illnesses. RESULTS: Analyses indicated that SES was significantly associated with greater MIS levels, and that this link was significantly mediated by controllability attributions and personal responsibility judgments. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that high-SES individuals are more likely to see mental illness as due to internal, controllable factors, which leads to blaming the individual for mental illness onset and, ultimately, greater mental illness stigma. These results provide support for more socioeconomically diverse committees and panels where mental health funding decisions are made due to inherent attributional biases which may be present along the SES spectrum.

The impact of snapchat usage on drunkorexia behaviors in college women.

ObjectiveResearch has shown the deleterious effects of drunkorexia behaviors. The goal of this project was to examine the impact of college women's Snapchat usage on drunkorexia behavior frequencies and motives, through comparing one's body to others and internal drives for thinness.Participants636 college women (Study 1 N = 109, Study 2 N = 527) were recruited from a large research institution in the Southwestern U.S.MethodsParticipants completed an online survey regarding Snapchat usage, body comparison indices, drive for thinness, and drunkorexia behaviors and motives.ResultsFindings support the hypotheses that Snapchat usage impacts drunkorexia behaviors in general (Study 1), and specific drunkorexia motives (Study 2). These effects were mediated by an index of body comparisons and drive for thinness.ConclusionsCollege women may be at risk for drunkorexia due to their experiences on social media. Aspects of the platform may be pushing women toward disturbed eating habits.

Similarities and Differences in Popular Peers in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood.

The transition to emerging adulthood is accompanied by shifts in social ecology that influence the attributes that garner popularity among peers. The goal of this study was to compare descriptions of popular high school and college peers. Participants were 218 college undergraduates (70% female, mean age 19.6 years) at a large, public Midwestern university. Participants provided descriptions of their popular male and female college peers, and retrospective descriptions of their popular male and female high school peers. Descriptions were coded into one of 11 content categories and rated for their valence. Popular high school students were described in terms of their appearance, wealth, and athletic ability. Popular college students were described in terms of their prosocial behavior, peer interactions, social competencies, and involvement in campus groups. Emerging adulthood may bring a shift in the meaning of popularity toward more prosocial attributes and behaviors that facilitate the development of positive relationships with others.