Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health
- The Cambridge Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- 1 Introduction to the Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health
- Part I Understanding Stigma and Mental Health
- Part II Impact of Stigma on Mental Health
- Part III Stigma and Mental Health in Specific Contexts
- 10 The Intersection of Mental Health Stigma and Marginalized Identities
- 11 Stigma and Mental Health in Ethnic Minority Populations
- 12 Mental Health Stigma among LGBTQ+ Populations
- 13 Unpacking Cultural Influences on Stigma of People with Mental Illness between Group-Oriented and Individual-Oriented Cultures
- 14 All the World’s a Stage
- 15 Understanding and Reducing the Stigma of Mental Health Problems and of Treatment among Military Personnel
- 16 Stigma of Seeking Mental Health Services and Related Constructs in Older versus Younger Adults
- 17 Stigma and Mental Health in the Abrahamic Religious Traditions
- Part IV Reducing Stigma to Promote Mental Health
- Index
- References
16 - Stigma of Seeking Mental Health Services and Related Constructs in Older versus Younger Adults
from Part III - Stigma and Mental Health in Specific Contexts
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2022
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health
- The Cambridge Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- 1 Introduction to the Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health
- Part I Understanding Stigma and Mental Health
- Part II Impact of Stigma on Mental Health
- Part III Stigma and Mental Health in Specific Contexts
- 10 The Intersection of Mental Health Stigma and Marginalized Identities
- 11 Stigma and Mental Health in Ethnic Minority Populations
- 12 Mental Health Stigma among LGBTQ+ Populations
- 13 Unpacking Cultural Influences on Stigma of People with Mental Illness between Group-Oriented and Individual-Oriented Cultures
- 14 All the World’s a Stage
- 15 Understanding and Reducing the Stigma of Mental Health Problems and of Treatment among Military Personnel
- 16 Stigma of Seeking Mental Health Services and Related Constructs in Older versus Younger Adults
- 17 Stigma and Mental Health in the Abrahamic Religious Traditions
- Part IV Reducing Stigma to Promote Mental Health
- Index
- References
Summary
Older adults are the least likely age group to seek mental health services and stigma is frequently cited as a key explanation. Guided by the internalized stigma of help-seeking model, the first objective of this chapter is to review research examining age differences in public stigmas, self-stigmas, help-seeking attitudes, and intentions to seek help. With some exceptions, the bulk of this research suggests that stigmas, attitudes, and intentions are, in fact, more positive in later life. The second objective of the chapter is to examine the current state of research focusing on anti-stigma interventions among older adults. Unfortunately, a key conclusion from our review of this research is that older adults are vastly underrepresented in stigma intervention work. Most participants in meta-analyses and reviews of stigma interventions are teenagers and adults in their 20s and 30s. Only a handful of studies have targeted intervention work toward older adults, with promising results. We conclude by highlighting additional work that needs to be done to understand how age interacts with stigmas and related constructs, and how to improve them through intervention work. These efforts have the potential to improve the lives of a large and quickly growing segment of our population.
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- The Cambridge Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health , pp. 326 - 346Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
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