IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i22p11840-d677141.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Self-Disclosure and Non-Communication: Stigma Management in Third-Sector Transitional Employment

Author

Listed:
  • Miira Niska

    (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Melisa Stevanovic

    (Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33100 Tampere, Finland)

  • Elina Weiste

    (Finnish, Finno-Ugrian and Scandinavian Studies, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
    Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, 00250 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Tommi Ostrovskij

    (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Taina Valkeapää

    (Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland)

  • Camilla Lindholm

    (The Languages Unit, Tampere University, 33100 Tampere, Finland)

Abstract

People who are recovering from a mental illness often have difficulties finding and maintaining employment. One of the main reasons for these difficulties is the negative label, or stigma, attached to mental illnesses. People who possess stigmatizing characteristics may use compensatory stigma management strategies to reduce discrimination. Due to mental illnesses’ invisible characteristics, information control is an important stigma management strategy. People can often choose whether they disclose or non-communicate their illness. Nevertheless, it might be difficult to decide when and to whom to disclose or non-communicate the stigma. Since stigma management is a dilemmatic process, workers in mental health services play an important role in informing their clients of when it is best to disclose or non-communicate their illness. In this article, we adopt the perspective of discursive social psychology to investigate how workers of one mental health service programme evaluate and construct self-disclosure and non-communication as stigma management strategies. We demonstrate how these workers recommend non-communication and formulate strict stipulations for self-disclosure. At the same time, they differentiate non-communication from lying or providing false information. The study contributes to an improved understanding of stigma management in contemporary mental health services.

Suggested Citation

  • Miira Niska & Melisa Stevanovic & Elina Weiste & Tommi Ostrovskij & Taina Valkeapää & Camilla Lindholm, 2021. "Self-Disclosure and Non-Communication: Stigma Management in Third-Sector Transitional Employment," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-14, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:22:p:11840-:d:677141
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/11840/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/22/11840/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Parker, Richard & Aggleton, Peter, 2003. "HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination: a conceptual framework and implications for action," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 13-24, July.
    2. Jenny Paananen & Camilla Lindholm & Melisa Stevanovic & Elina Weiste, 2020. "Tensions and Paradoxes of Stigma: Discussing Stigma in Mental Health Rehabilitation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-18, August.
    3. Alaa Mahsoon & Loujain Sharif & Maram Banakhar & Nofaa Alasmee & Esraa Almowallad & Razan Jabali & Amjad Bahamil & Sara Assur, 2020. "Parental Support, Beliefs about Mental Illness, and Mental Help-Seeking among Young Adults in Saudi Arabia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-11, August.
    4. Carmen K. M. Ng & Stephen H. F. Lam & Sally T. K. Tsang & Cheong M. C. Yuen & Chi-Wen Chien, 2020. "The Relationship between Affiliate Stigma in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Children’s Activity Participation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-13, March.
    5. Eunmi Lee & Yoo Mi Jeong & Su Jeong Yi, 2020. "RETRACTED: Nurses’ Attitudes toward Psychiatric Help for Depression: The Serial Mediation Effect of Self-Stigma and Depression on Public Stigma and Attitudes toward Psychiatric Help," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-10, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Chung-Ying Lin & Hector W. H. Tsang, 2020. "Stigma, Health and Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-12, October.
    2. Jenny Paananen & Camilla Lindholm & Melisa Stevanovic & Elina Weiste, 2020. "Tensions and Paradoxes of Stigma: Discussing Stigma in Mental Health Rehabilitation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-18, August.
    3. Mazanderani, Fadhila & Paparini, Sara, 2015. "The stories we tell: Qualitative research interviews, talking technologies and the ‘normalisation’ of life with HIV," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 66-73.
    4. Chen Zhang & Xiaoming Li & Yu Liu & Shan Qiao & Liying Zhang & Yuejiao Zhou & Zhenzhu Tang & Zhiyong Shen & Yi Chen, 2016. "Stigma against People Living with HIV/AIDS in China: Does the Route of Infection Matter?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(3), pages 1-15, March.
    5. Winskell, Kate & Sabben, Gaëlle, 2016. "Sexual stigma and symbolic violence experienced, enacted, and counteracted in young Africans’ writing about same-sex attraction," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 143-150.
    6. Yoo Mi Jeong & Hanjong Park, 2020. "Influence of Parental Attitude Toward Psychiatric Help on Their Children’s Suicidal Ideation: A Convenience Sample Study on One South Korean Middle School," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-12, October.
    7. Elena Briones Alonso & Lara Cockx & Jo Swinnen, 2017. "Culture and food security," Working Papers of Department of Economics, Leuven 591898, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Economics, Leuven.
    8. Daftary, Amrita, 2012. "HIV and tuberculosis: The construction and management of double stigma," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(10), pages 1512-1519.
    9. Rivers, Ian & Gonzalez, Cesar & Nodin, Nuno & Peel, Elizabeth & Tyler, Allan, 2018. "LGBT people and suicidality in youth: A qualitative study of perceptions of risk and protective circumstances," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1-8.
    10. Sophie Favre & Jean-Michel Aubry & Hélène Richard-Lepouriel, 2023. "Perceived public stigma and perceived public exposure by persons living with bipolar disorder: A qualitative study," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(2), pages 378-387, March.
    11. Gogna, Mónica Laura & Pecheny, Mario M. & Ibarlucía, Inés & Manzelli, Hernán & López, Sara Barrón, 2009. "The reproductive needs and rights of people living with HIV in Argentina: Health service users' and providers' perspectives," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 813-820, September.
    12. Frederick, Angela, 2017. "Visibility, respectability, and disengagement: The everyday resistance of mothers with disabilities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 131-138.
    13. Yang, Lawrence Hsin & Kleinman, Arthur, 2008. "'Face' and the embodiment of stigma in China: The cases of schizophrenia and AIDS," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 398-408, August.
    14. Shih, P. & Worth, H. & Travaglia, J. & Kelly-Hanku, A., 2017. "Pastoral power in HIV prevention: Converging rationalities of care in Christian and medical practices in Papua New Guinea," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 51-58.
    15. Sikstrom, Laura, 2018. "“There was no love there”: Intergenerational HIV disclosure, and late presentation for antiretroviral therapy in Northern Malawi," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 175-182.
    16. 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.
    17. Zhou, Yanqiu Rachel, 2007. ""If you get AIDS... You have to endure it alone": Understanding the social constructions of HIV/AIDS in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 284-295, July.
    18. Ahmed, Shahira & Autrey, Jessica & Katz, Ingrid T. & Fox, Matthew P. & Rosen, Sydney & Onoya, Dorina & Bärnighausen, Till & Mayer, Kenneth H. & Bor, Jacob, 2018. "Why do people living with HIV not initiate treatment? A systematic review of qualitative evidence from low- and middle-income countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 72-84.
    19. Syed Mustafa Ali & Naveed Anjum & Muhammad Ishaq & Farah Naureen & Arif Noor & Aamna Rashid & Syed Muslim Abbas & Kerri Viney, 2019. "Community Knowledge about Tuberculosis and Perception about Tuberculosis-Associated Stigma in Pakistan," Societies, MDPI, vol. 9(1), pages 1-12, January.
    20. Holly Swan, 2016. "A Qualitative Examination of Stigma Among Formerly Incarcerated Adults Living With HIV," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(1), pages 21582440166, February.

    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:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:22:p:11840-:d:677141. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.