IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v153y2016icp258-265.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Stigma of persons with disabilities in Afghanistan: Examining the pathways from stereotyping to mental distress

Author

Listed:
  • Trani, Jean-Francois
  • Ballard, Ellis
  • Peña, Juan B.

Abstract

Despite evidence that stigma of disability is frequently reflected through stereotyping and often results in mental distress, very limited literature demonstrates the pathways through which stereotyping has an impact on mental health. Drawing from a large sample of 1449 participants interviewed between December 2012 and September 2013 from an Afghan community-based rehabilitation program, we examined the structure of stigma associated with disability in Afghanistan. Labeling and negative stereotypes, associated with a specific cause of disability, result in social exclusion that in turn impacts mental health. Using structural equation modeling with latent variables, we examined the mediation effect of stereotypes associated with disability on mental distress and anxiety. We found a mediating role of social exclusion between stereotypes and mental distress but only in the case of persons with disabilities from birth. Comparing the total effect of ‘disabled at birth’ and mental distress 0.195 (95% CI: 0.018–0.367) the effect size of this mediation effect was 0.293 (95% CI: 0.173–0.415). There was no significant direct effect between ‘disabled at birth’ and mental distress once mediation effect was accounted for in our model. These findings suggest that a multipronged policy approach that recognizes the driving forces of stigma and promotes social participation directly alongside psychosocial interventions on mental distress of persons with disabilities is necessary to achieve wellbeing for a group that has been historically and systematically excluded from development interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Trani, Jean-Francois & Ballard, Ellis & Peña, Juan B., 2016. "Stigma of persons with disabilities in Afghanistan: Examining the pathways from stereotyping to mental distress," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 258-265.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:153:y:2016:i:c:p:258-265
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.02.024
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027795361630079X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.02.024?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lukachko, Alicia & Hatzenbuehler, Mark L. & Keyes, Katherine M., 2014. "Structural racism and myocardial infarction in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 42-50.
    2. Peter Ventevogel, 2012. "Improving Access to Mental Health Care and Psychosocial Support within a Fragile Context: A Case Study from Afghanistan," Working Papers id:5021, eSocialSciences.
    3. Hatzenbuehler, M.L. & Phelan, J.C. & Link, B.G., 2013. "Stigma as a fundamental cause of population health inequalities," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(5), pages 813-821.
    4. Betancourt, Theresa S. & Agnew-Blais, Jessica & Gilman, Stephen E. & Williams, David R. & Ellis, B. Heidi, 2010. "Past horrors, present struggles: The role of stigma in the association between war experiences and psychosocial adjustment among former child soldiers in Sierra Leone," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 17-26, January.
    5. Patel, Vikram & Araya, Ricardo & de Lima, Mauricio & Ludermir, Ana & Todd, Charles, 1999. "Women, poverty and common mental disorders in four restructuring societies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 49(11), pages 1461-1471, December.
    6. Reid, Allecia E. & Dovidio, John F. & Ballester, Estrellita & Johnson, Blair T., 2014. "HIV prevention interventions to reduce sexual risk for African Americans: The influence of community-level stigma and psychological processes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 118-125.
    7. Shoba Raja & Chris Underhill, 2012. "Integrating Mental Health and Development: A Case Study of the BasicNeeds Model in Nepal," Working Papers id:5110, eSocialSciences.
    8. Richman, Laura Smart & Lattanner, Micah R., 2014. "Self-regulatory processes underlying structural stigma and health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 94-100.
    9. Hatzenbuehler, Mark L. & Bellatorre, Anna & Lee, Yeonjin & Finch, Brian K. & Muennig, Peter & Fiscella, Kevin, 2014. "Structural stigma and all-cause mortality in sexual minority populations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 33-41.
    10. Livingston, James D. & Boyd, Jennifer E., 2010. "Correlates and consequences of internalized stigma for people living with mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(12), pages 2150-2161, December.
    11. Stanislav Kolenikov & Gustavo Angeles, 2009. "Socioeconomic Status Measurement With Discrete Proxy Variables: Is Principal Component Analysis A Reliable Answer?," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 55(1), pages 128-165, March.
    12. Yang, Lawrence H. & Chen, Fang-pei & Sia, Kathleen Janel & Lam, Jonathan & Lam, Katherine & Ngo, Hong & Lee, Sing & Kleinman, Arthur & Good, Byron, 2014. "“What matters most:” A cultural mechanism moderating structural vulnerability and moral experience of mental illness stigma," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 84-93.
    13. Eggerman, Mark & Panter-Brick, Catherine, 2010. "Suffering, hope, and entrapment: Resilience and cultural values in Afghanistan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 71-83, July.
    14. Koschorke, Mirja & Padmavati, R. & Kumar, Shuba & Cohen, Alex & Weiss, Helen A. & Chatterjee, Sudipto & Pereira, Jesina & Naik, Smita & John, Sujit & Dabholkar, Hamid & Balaji, Madhumitha & Chavan, An, 2014. "Experiences of stigma and discrimination of people with schizophrenia in India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 149-159.
    15. Green, Sara E., 2003. ""What do you mean 'what's wrong with her?'": stigma and the lives of families of children with disabilities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(8), pages 1361-1374, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Trani, Jean-Francois & Bakhshi, Parul & Brown, Derek & Lopez, Dominique & Gall, Fiona, 2018. "Disability as deprivation of capabilities: Estimation using a large-scale survey in Morocco and Tunisia and an instrumental variable approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 48-60.
    2. Gregor Wolbring & Maria Escobedo, 2023. "Academic Coverage of Social Stressors Experienced by Disabled People: A Scoping Review," Societies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-31, September.
    3. Sean B Nine & Abdul Fattah Najm & Emily B Allan & Petra C Gronholm, 2022. "Mental health stigma among community members in Afghanistan: A cross-sectional survey," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(7), pages 1470-1485, November.
    4. Jean-Francois Trani & Kyle A. Pitzer & Juanita Vasquez Escallon & Parul Bakhshi, 2022. "Access to Services from Persons with Disabilities in Afghanistan: Is Community Based Rehabilitation Making a Difference?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-26, May.
    5. Timmermans, Stefan & Tietbohl, Caroline, 2018. "Fifty years of sociological leadership at Social Science and Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 209-215.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Trani, Jean-Francois & Moodley, Jacqueline & Anand, Paul & Graham, Lauren & Thu Maw, May Thu, 2020. "Stigma of persons with disabilities in South Africa: Uncovering pathways from discrimination to depression and low self-esteem," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    2. Johnson, Blair T. & Acabchuk, Rebecca L., 2018. "What are the keys to a longer, happier life? Answers from five decades of health psychology research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 218-226.
    3. Gavan, Luana & Hartog, Kim & Koppenol-Gonzalez, Gabriela V. & Gronholm, Petra C. & Feddes, Allard R. & Kohrt, Brandon A. & Jordans, Mark J.D. & Peters, Ruth M.H., 2022. "Assessing stigma in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of scales used with children and adolescents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    4. Schrank, Beate & Bird, Victoria & Rudnick, Abraham & Slade, Mike, 2012. "Determinants, self-management strategies and interventions for hope in people with mental disorders: Systematic search and narrative review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(4), pages 554-564.
    5. Davis, Jenny L. & Goar, Carla & Manago, Bianca & Reidinger, Bobbi, 2018. "Distribution and disavowal: Managing the parental stigma of Children's weight and weight loss," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 61-69.
    6. James Livingston & Nimesh Patel & Stephanie Bryson & Peter Hoong & Rodrick Lal & Marina Morrow & Sepali Guruge, 2018. "Stigma associated with mental illness among Asian men in Vancouver, Canada," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 64(7), pages 679-689, November.
    7. Jean-Francois Trani & Kyle A. Pitzer & Juanita Vasquez Escallon & Parul Bakhshi, 2022. "Access to Services from Persons with Disabilities in Afghanistan: Is Community Based Rehabilitation Making a Difference?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(10), pages 1-26, May.
    8. Kellogg, Alexander J. & Hancock, David W. & Cho, Grace Y. & Reid, Allecia E., 2023. "Community-level age bias and older adult mortality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 317(C).
    9. Timmermans, Stefan & Tietbohl, Caroline, 2018. "Fifty years of sociological leadership at Social Science and Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 209-215.
    10. Gaddis, S. Michael & Ramirez, Daniel & Hernandez, Erik L., 2018. "Contextualizing public stigma: Endorsed mental health treatment stigma on college and university campuses," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 183-191.
    11. Tay, Alvin Kuowei & Rees, Susan & Chan, Jack & Kareth, Moses & Silove, Derrick, 2015. "Examining the broader psychosocial effects of mass conflict on PTSD symptoms and functional impairment amongst West Papuan refugees resettled in Papua New Guinea (PNG)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 70-78.
    12. Miller, Carol T. & Solomon, Sondra E. & Varni, Susan E. & Hodge, James J. & Knapp, F. Andrew & Bunn, Janice Y., 2016. "A transactional approach to relationships over time between perceived HIV stigma and the psychological and physical well-being of people with HIV," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 97-105.
    13. Paine, Emily Allen, 2018. "Embodied disruption: “Sorting out” gender and nonconformity in the doctor's office," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 352-358.
    14. Kellogg, Alexander J. & Hancock, David W. & Cho, Grace Y. & Reid, Allecia E., 2023. "Reprint of: Community-level age bias and older adult mortality," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).
    15. Yuer Deng & An-Li Wang & Rosemary Frasso & Mao-Sheng Ran & Tian-Ming Zhang & Dexia Kong & Yin-Ling Irene Wong, 2022. "Mental health-related stigma and attitudes toward patient care among providers of mental health services in a rural Chinese county," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(3), pages 610-618, May.
    16. Mejia-Lancheros, Cilia & Lachaud, James & Woodhall-Melnik, Julia & O'Campo, Patricia & Hwang, Stephen W. & Stergiopoulos, Vicky, 2021. "Longitudinal interrelationships of mental health discrimination and stigma with housing and well-being outcomes in adults with mental illness and recent experience of homelessness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    17. Krupchanka, D. & Chrtková, D. & Vítková, M. & Munzel, D. & Čihařová, M. & Růžičková, T. & Winkler, P. & Janoušková, M. & Albanese, E. & Sartorius, N., 2018. "Experience of stigma and discrimination in families of persons with schizophrenia in the Czech Republic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 129-135.
    18. White Hughto, Jaclyn M. & Reisner, Sari L. & Pachankis, John E., 2015. "Transgender stigma and health: A critical review of stigma determinants, mechanisms, and interventions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 222-231.
    19. Hunter, Bronwyn A. & Mohatt, Nathaniel Vincent & Prince, Dana M. & Thompson, Azure B. & Matlin, Samantha L. & Tebes, Jacob Kraemer, 2017. "Socio-psychological mediators of the relationship between behavioral health stigma and psychiatric symptoms," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 177-183.
    20. Koschorke, Mirja & Padmavati, R. & Kumar, Shuba & Cohen, Alex & Weiss, Helen A. & Chatterjee, Sudipto & Pereira, Jesina & Naik, Smita & John, Sujit & Dabholkar, Hamid & Balaji, Madhumitha & Chavan, An, 2014. "Experiences of stigma and discrimination of people with schizophrenia in India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 149-159.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:153:y:2016:i:c:p:258-265. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.