Masuda, A., Price, M., Anderson, P. L., Schmertz, S. K., & Calamaras, M., R. (2009). The role of psychotherapy flexibility in mental health stigma and psychological distress for the stigmatizer. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28, 1244-1262.
Although the negative consequences of stigmatization on those with psychological disorders have been well-documented, little is known about the impact of stigmatization on individuals who report having such stigmatizing attitudes. The present set of studies first investigated whether there was a link between stigmatizing attitudes toward people with psychological disorders and one's own level of psychological distress. In addition, psychological flexibility was explored as a possible facet of this relation. As predicted, results revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between mental health stigma and psychological distress. Furthermore, the results suggested that psychological flexibility may be a shared feature of mental health stigma and psychological distress. Exploring the role of psychological flexibility appears to be a promising construct for conceptualizing and treating mental health stigma.