Transcript Stigma-related beliefs and experiences among homeless individuals

Stigma-Related Beliefs and Experiences among
Homeless Individuals
Carolyn Weisz, Psychology
Renée Houston, Communication Studies
University of Puget Sound
Contact: [email protected] . Please do not cite without permission of authors.
Presentation at the Biennial Conference of the
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI)
Chicago, June 27-29, 2008
Acknowledgement and appreciation to Diane Quinn and student assistants,
Carrie Clark, Karen Czerniak, Sonia Ivancic, Tom Van Heuvelen,
Alex Westcoat, Natalie Whitlock, and Jenny Yu.
Supported by The Pierce County Road Home Leadership Team
and the Boeing Company
Background
 Homelessness – An extreme form of stigma
 Low in warmth and competence (e.g., Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, &
Xu, 2002)
 Dehumanization and distancing (Harris & Fiske, 2006; Phelan,
Link, Moore & Stueve, 1997).
 Multiple Stigmas
- Homeless/poor
- Unemployed/uneducated
- Single/divorced
- Criminal history
- Mental illness
- Addiction
- Poor health
- Race/gender
 Concealability
 Multiple stigmas that are and are not concealable
 Agency and context
 Unclear costs and benefits of concealing/disclosing
Purpose
 Broader Research Context
 Pierce County/Univ. of Puget Sound Civic Scholarship
Partnership
 HB2163 requirement for a plan to reduce homelessness by 50%
 Interdisciplinary approach
 Social Psychological Questions
 How do people experiencing homelessnesss think they are
viewed by the non-homeless? (Study 1)
 Do types of stigmatized identities differ in salience, centrality,
and concern about negative effects of stigma? (Study 2)
 What dimensions of stigmas relate to well-being? (Study 2)
 Do the psychological and social consequences of concealable
stigmas depend on their intersection with other (concealable and
nonconcealable) stigmas? (Study 2)
Study 1
 Predictions
 Individuals experiencing homelessness think that outgroup members’
beliefs about the homeless are more negative than their own beliefs.
 Individuals experiencing homelessness think that outgroup members’
beliefs about the homeless are more negative than beliefs actually
reported by a non-homeless sample.
 Homeless participants (N = 214)
 116 men and 98 women, 19-65 years
 55% White, 21% Black, 8% Native American, 5% Hispanic, 1%
Asian, 10% Mixed or Other
 43% reported mental illness, 44% reported drug/alcohol addiction
 Non-homeless participants (N = 50)
 Residents and business leaders recruited from three sources: a master
mailing list of Pierce County businesses, the Qwest-dex phone book,
and a list of citizens who had participated in marketing research.
Stereotype Measure
 Homeless and nonhomeless participants indicated whether they thought
five statements representing negative stereotypes about the homeless were
true or false.





Most of the homeless are drug addicts or alcoholics.
Most of the homeless do not want to work.
The homeless are largely responsible for petty crime.
Large homeless populations create fear and danger in communities.
Most homeless people don’t want to be helped.
 Homeless participants also indicated the answers that they thought non-
homeless individuals would choose most often.
% “True” Responses to Statements
Item
Homeless
Believe
( n = 209)
Homeless
Think Others
Believe
(n = 209)
NonHomeless
Responses
(n = 50)
Most of the homeless are drug addicts or
alcoholics.
35.7%
83.1%
38.0%
Most of the homeless do not want to
work.
23.4%
74.5%
20.0%
The homeless are largely responsible for
petty crime.
24.4%
75.8%
20.4%
Large homeless populations create fear
and danger in communities.
56.8%
80.8%
88.0%
Most homeless people don’t want to be
helped.
12.1%
69.5%
8.0%
Mean number of “True” responses
out of 5 (SD)
1.55
(1.32)
3.89
(1.70)
1.74
(1.14)
Study 2
 Examining multiple stigmas among the homeless
 Stigma dimensions: salience, centrality, and concern
about negative treatment and outcomes.
 Relationships between stigmas and well-being.
 Intersections of concealable and nonconcealable stigmas:
Race differences in the experiences of other stigmas.
 Participants (N = 70)
 51 men and 19 women, 20-61 years
 3 months – 44 years homeless
 46% White, 43% Black, 8% Other or Mixed
 43% reported mental illness, 43% reported addiction
Stigma Measure
 Identities
- being homeless
- race or ethnicity
- gender
- having a criminal record
- having a mental illness
- having an addiction to
alcohol or drugs
 Salience
In the last 3 months, how often did you think about (your) . . . ?
(1 = never, 5 = daily)
 Centrality
(My) . . . is an important part of who I am.
( 1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree)
 Concern
I worry a lot about being treated badly/bad things happening to me because
(I have/of my) . . . .
( 1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree)
Well-Being Measure
 In the last 6 months, how __________ have you felt?
 safe
 lonely (reverse)
(1 = not at all, 5 = extremely)
 happy
 depressed (reverse)
 hopeful
 tired (reverse)
 calm
 cheerful
 angry (reverse)
alpha = .83
Means for Stigma Measures
Identity
n
Salience Centrality Concern
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Homeless
Criminal record
Addiction
Mental illness
Race
Race (Black)
Gender
Gender (Female)
70
32-33
29-30
28-30
70
30
70
19
4.30
3.24
3.93
3.73
2.03
2.23
2.14
2.68
3.14
2.85
2.79
2.79
3.88
4.23
4.29
4.74
3.36
3.50
3.28
3.11
2.57
3.05
2.19
2.63
Correlations Between Concern and Well-Being
Identity
n
Salience
Centrality Concern
___________________________________________________________________________
Homeless
Criminal record
Addiction
Mental illness
Race
Race (Black)
Gender
Gender (Female)
70
32-33
29-30
28-30
70
30
70
19
-.21
-.54*
-.33
-.27
-.30*
-.59*
-.05
.06
.03
-.46*
-.17
-.37
.14
-.02
-.01
-.21
-.47*
-.58*
-.36
-.60*
-.41*
-.53*
-.33*
-.78*
Correlations Between Worry and Well-Being
Among Black and White Men
Identity
Black Men
M
r
n
White Men
M
r
n
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Homeless
Criminal record
Addiction
Mental illness
Race
Gender
3.48
3.11
2.88
3.56
3.04
2.24
-.52*
-.43
.05
-.75*
-.48*
-.28
23
14
8
8
23
23
3.28
3.94
3.23
2.65
2.33
1.74
-.25
-.55
-.64*
-.30
-.16
-.01
23
9
13
10
23
23
Conclusion
 Summary
 Individuals experiencing homelessness believe that views people hold about the
homeless are very negative.
 Homeless individuals worry about negative treatment and outcomes associated
with various stigmas that may or may not be concealable.
 Worrying about the effects of stigma is associated with lower emotional well-being.
 Nonconcealable stigmas (e.g., being Black) may determine how much worrying
about concealable stigmas (e.g., homelessness, mental illness) affects well-being.
 Limitations
 Self-report and measurement
 Correlational design
 Future Directions
 How do experiences of stigma relate to other outcomes (e.g., social support, health,
housing, motivation)?
 Multiple and intersecting stigmas
 What are the costs and benefits for homeless individuals of concealing or revealing
stigmas?