Stigma in Aotearoa New Zealand: Comparisons of attitudes toward those with mental illness and disability.

Abstract

Stigma toward those with mental illness and disabilities remains a significant issue internationally. Those with mental illness can be particularly susceptible to stigma, given its compounding impact on one’s quality of life and help-seeking behaviors. We therefore sought to compare stigma toward those with a mental illness and those with a disability. We drew upon a nationally representative survey, which asked participants about their comfortability of having a new neighbor with a mental illness or a disability. Through linear mixed-effects models, we explored the relationship between various demographic variables (e.g., age, biological sex, education, and socioeconomic status) and stigma toward each group. The results revealed that stigma toward those with mental illness was significantly greater than stigma toward those with a disability. We also noted that stigma toward both groups was higher among Asian, Pacific, and older participants but lower among those with higher education. Overall, our study prompts further insight into the stigma process and differences between stigmatized groups. In addition, it is likely that bespoke interventions will be required that consider the underlying motivators toward mental illness stigmatization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) We used nationally representative survey data to investigate differences in stigma toward those with mental illness and physical disability. Higher stigma was associated with mental illness relative to physical disability. This is likely due to stereotypes around those with mental illness being dangerous and unpredictable. We also identified older people, women, and certain ethnicities, that were associated with higher levels of mental illness stigma. Findings support the need for interventions that challenge stigma toward those with mental illness arising from misinformation and stereotypes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)