Abstract
Some research indicates that public stigma of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be relatively benign compared to other psychiatric conditions. However, the severity of PTSD stigma may vary as a function of the setting—military vs. civilian—for a traumatic event and the type of trauma—sexual assault vs. physical assault—that a person experiences. In an online experiment, 870 participants read vignettes in which a woman protagonist experienced a traumatic assault. The vignettes systematically varied as to (1) the military vs. civilian setting of the assault, (2) the type of assault—sexual vs. physical—that she experienced, and (3) whether she was diagnosed with PTSD in the aftermath of the assault. Measures of self-reported social distance and several affective, attitudinal, and behavioral dimensions of stigma were administered. Results indicated that the presence vs. absence of a PTSD diagnosis substantially increased public stigma across several measures. Less consistent but nevertheless noteworthy effects of setting and type of trauma also emerged. The current results valuably add to the small body of knowledge on PTSD stigma and highlight avenues for future research on this damaging phenomenon.
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Appendix
Appendix
Note. The bold type in the text below was presented in the military condition but omitted in the civilian condition.
Introduction
This is Sandra. She is 26 years old (and she previously served in the United States Army). Sandra lives by herself in an apartment in Kansas City, Missouri. She works full-time and she pursues a couple of hobbies.
***
Sexual assault.
Nearly six years ago (while deployed overseas in the Army), Sandra was sexually assaulted.
Physical assault.
Nearly six years ago (while deployed overseas in the Army), Sandra was physically assaulted.
No disclosure of a specific trauma.
(Neither of the above texts presented).
***
PTSD present.
Five and a half years ago, after experiencing (this/a) traumatic event, Sandra visited a mental health professional who diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When this problem started several months earlier, Sandra began having terrible nightmares of her traumatic event. She had flashbacks, during which she felt like she was experiencing the traumatic event all over again. She also started avoiding people and places that reminded her of the traumatic event. Sometimes she had angry outbursts at inappropriate times; in fact, once she snapped at a restaurant server who did nothing to provoke a tantrum. She also became unusually aware of possible danger, and this made her feel on edge all of the time.
PTSD absent
(Above text not presented).
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Thibodeau, R., Merges, E. On Public Stigma of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Effects of Military vs. Civilian Setting and Sexual vs. Physical Trauma. Int J Ment Health Addiction 22, 238–253 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00870-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00870-6