Plenary 2a - A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Social Policies and Mental Health Disparities: Insights from Stigma Research

Psychological research has made significant advancements in the study of stigma, defined as the co-occurrence of labeling, stereotyping, status loss, and discrimination that unfolds in a context of unequal power. However, this work has been criticized for focusing almost exclusively on individual and interpersonal stigma processes to the exclusion of structural factors that promulgate stigmatization. To address this knowledge gap, researchers have recently expanded the stigma construct to consider how broader, macrosocial forms of stigma—what I call structural stigma—also disadvantage stigmatized individuals. In this talk, I will define the construct of structural stigma and discuss one instantiation of it in the form of public policies that target specific groups for social exclusion or that fail to provide legal protections. I will then review several illustrative studies from our research group that use a range of methodological and measurement approaches to document the negative biopsychosocial consequences of exposure to structural stigma across a range of stigmatized statuses, including those related to sexual orientation, race, and socioeconomic status. I will end the talk with a brief discussion of implications of this research for structural and psychological interventions aimed at reducing the negative mental health sequelae of stigma for members of marginalized groups. Collectively, this research highlights the need for clinical scientists to further attend to structural influences in our conceptual models of health, in our empirical studies, and in our interventions aimed at reducing mental health disparities.