A review of the article, Explicit and Implicit Stigma towards Peers with Mental Health Problems in Childhood and Adolescence

The aim of the article is to explore how children and adolescents with mental illness are regarded by their peers. Studies have already shown that these students have trouble socially and in peer relationships, but this study explores stigmas and the perception of these students by their peers. Participants were given questionnaires to fill out about students of similar age and gender who had ADHD and depression. Overall, students with ADHD were perceived more negatively than those with depression. However, both were perceived more negatively than students who did not have reported issues. The article concludes that children and adolescents with common mental illness are stigmatized and viewed negatively by their peers, and the level at which they are viewed depends on the type of issue they have. Ultimately, this article helps researchers to further understand implicit attitudes and develop anti-stigma interventions.

I found this article interesting, considering some of the videos we watched in this module about bullying and depression. I think some of the best ways to avoid developing or cultivating negative perceptions of people with common mental illness, or any other disability, is education and awareness. If students were exposed to some type of discussion or presentation that provided an understanding of these issues early, and continued this periodically throughout their education and development, I think it would be very beneficial to changing perceptions and becoming more socially accepting of their peers.

O'Driscoll, C., Heary, C., Hennessy, E., & McKeague, L. (2012). Explicit and implicit stigma towards peers with mental health problems in childhood and adolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53(10), 1054-1062.