Stigma by Any Other Name.

Objective: Some advocates argue that the word "stigma" is itself stigmatizing and contributes to further denigration of people with mental illness. This brief report presents results of a nationwide survey comparing terminology related to stigma in regard to mental illness.

Methods: A total of 340 Amazon Mechanical Turk survey takers read variations of a vignette depicting an individual with schizophrenia and then completed a brief stigma measure.

The effects of pity on self- and other-perceptions of mental illness.

Previous research has demonstrated that pity may have a positive influence on public perceptions of individuals with a mental illness but has not adequately addressed the potential negative impacts of pity perceptions. Seventy-five research participants with serious mental illness completed measures of pity, public stigma, shame, hopelessness, personal empowerment, self-esteem, depression, and quality of life at baseline. Measures of hopelessness, personal empowerment, self-esteem, and depression were repeated six months later.

Another look at depressive symptoms and antiretroviral therapy adherence: The role of treatment self-efficacy.

Depression has been strongly associated with poor HIV treatment adherence, but little research has explored how individuals manage to follow their regimens despite symptoms of major depression. Using a sample of antiretroviral therapy patients with clinically significant depressive symptoms (n = 84), we examined whether patients with optimal adherence differed from those with suboptimal adherence in terms of the types of depressive symptoms experienced and treatment self-efficacy. There were no significant differences between participants with regard to types of depressive symptoms.

Antiretroviral therapy adherence in a sample of men with low socioeconomic status: The role of task-specific treatment self-efficacy.

Disparities continue to persist in HIV care and treatment outcomes among racial/ethnic minorities, men who have sex with men (MSM), and individuals with low socioeconomic status. Much research has identified treatment self-efficacy as a key factor in antiretroviral therapy adherence and subsequent treatment outcomes. Few studies, however, have elaborated on these links and their potential in reducing HIV treatment disparities by examining the role of task-specific types of treatment self-efficacy.