When mom has depression: Feelings of maternal responsibility, regard, and personal stigma among young adults.

Abstract

The term "personal stigma" refers to negative attributions and stigmatized beliefs that a person holds toward individuals coping with mental illness. Although much has been written about the adverse impact of stigma for people with mental illness and their families, relatively little is known about factors related to family members own views of personal stigma toward people with mental illness. Using a sample of 172 young adult children of whose mother was diagnosed with depression, the present study examined the role of young adults' reports of their own depressive symptoms, frequency of maternal contact, and feelings of maternal regard and responsibility in their reports of personal stigma toward people with depression. Results of hierarchical regression analyses suggest that young adults' feelings of maternal responsibility and regard were significantly related to personal stigma toward depression, regardless of the frequency of maternal contact and young adults' own depressive symptoms. Overall, the higher levels of maternal responsibility were associated with adults' reports of higher levels of personal stigma, whereas higher levels of maternal regard were generally associated with lower levels of personal stigma. Implications for the future research on mental health stigma are discussed.