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Factors Associated with Attributions About Child Health Conditions and Social Distance Preference

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Abstract

In order to better understand factors that account for the emergence and persistence of negative attitudes towards mental health problems, attributions about and stigma towards children’s mental and physical illnesses were examined using National Stigma Study—Children data. Parent blame attributions were most strongly associated with attention deficit disorder, environmental causes with depression, and biology with asthma. Parent blame was more frequent for mental than physical health conditions. Child blame was associated with higher preferred social distance from the child, but no clear links were observed between social distance and attributions about genetic/biology, environment, or parent blame. Rurality was not significantly associated with attributions or social distance preference. Higher educational achievement was associated with increased endorsement of environmental stress factors and reduced odds of child blaming. The general public holds complex explanatory models of and nuanced responses to children’s mental disorders that need further investigation, including effects on parents’ and children’s help-seeking.

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Acknowledgments

Preparation of this article was supported by the National Institute for Mental Health (R01MH070680). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies. Authors also acknowledge reviews by Kenneth A. Wallston, PhD and anonymous CMHJ reviewers.

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There are no known conflicts of interest for both authors. All authors certify responsibility for the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Box 90 Peabody, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    Abraham Mukolo & Craig Anne Heflinger

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Mukolo, A., Heflinger, C.A. Factors Associated with Attributions About Child Health Conditions and Social Distance Preference. Community Ment Health J 47, 286–299 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-010-9325-1

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