(PS4-C55) Same or Different? A Comparison of Trauma Stereotypes vs. Those for Substance Use and Major Depression

Existing research provides evidence for the wide endorsement of stereotyped beliefs about individuals with mental health difficulties. While compelling, much of the available literature has targeted perceptions of specific conditions including major depression, alcohol/substance use, and schizophrenia (e.g., Angermeyer & Dietrich, 2006; Angermeyer & Schomerus, 2017). Exposure to serious trauma is not a mental illness. It is an event that is pervasive in the larger population, and - while impactful - is an occurrence most will respond to with resilience. However, much of the general public is likely to associate exposure with chronic mental health difficulties and/or irreparable harm. Many traumatic events are themselves linked to broad stigmatization, increasing opportunities for stereotypes and rejection. The aim of the current project was to compare stereotypes of trauma and its consequences with beliefs about major depression and substance abuse, two conditions that have received considerable attention in the larger stigma literature.    

Participants included undergraduates completing surveys targeting negative beliefs about individuals with histories of trauma (n = 99), major depression (MDD; n = 94), or substance use (SUD; n = 104). Trauma stereotypes were examined using the Trauma Beliefs Assessment (TBA), a 51-item measure capturing stigmatizing perceptions of survivors (e.g., People exposed to serious trauma often become violent). Belief domains in this survey include perceptions regarding the CHRONICITY of reactions; concerns involving DANGEROUSNESS; concerns involving PREDICTABILITY; lowered expectations in WORK domains; lowered expectations in SOCIAL domains; perceived MORAL failings; and the necessity of TREATMENT. For this research, alternate forms of the TBA were constructed to target identical beliefs about individuals with MDD (e.g., People who have experienced depression often become violent) and SUD (e.g., People who have experienced substance abuse often become violent). 

ANOVA models were used to compare the endorsement of trauma-focused stigma with negative beliefs of MDD and SUD. Tukey post-hoc tests were used for all follow-ups. Effect sizes are presented as Cohen’s d (small: d = .30; medium: d = .50; large: d = .80).

One-way ANOVA models identified group differences in chronicity, dangerousness, predictability, work, social, moral, and treatment domains (all p ≤ .005). Negative beliefs about trauma exposure were comparable to those for MDD apart from greater perceptions about the chronicity of trauma reactions (p = .029, d = .37). Negative beliefs about SUD were generally higher than those reported for trauma survivors (all p ≤ .005; d = .39 to 1.12) except for similar beliefs about the necessity of treatment.

Results suggest that public perceptions of trauma – which is not a mental health condition but an event that most will experience in their lifetime – are comparable to beliefs regarding MDD, a diagnosable psychological condition. Perceived need for formal intervention following trauma exposure was also comparable to that for SUD. Data suggest widespread failure to appreciate resilience in the majority of survivors as well as the potential conflation of trauma exposure with mental illness.