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One way that stigma may interfere with treatment-seeking is its impact on whether an individual self-labels as someone with mental illness (MI). While identifying and labeling oneself as experiencing MI is an important early step in seeking treatment, self-labeling may also make individuals more susceptible to the negative effects of internalized, anticipated, and experienced stigma. In the present study, we examined the relationship between MI stigma and self-labeling. We hypothesized that endorsement of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination would be higher among those individuals who do not self-label and that those who did self-label would endorse higher levels of anticipated, internalized, and experienced stigma.We conducted a survey of stigma and mental health via MTurk. The sample included 257 individuals who met criteria for a current probable diagnosis of depression, generalized anxiety, or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We compared those individuals who responded "yes" to ever experiencing MI (Individuals who did not self-label as having MI were more likely to be younger, male, and single. They also endorsed higher levels of stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and experienced stigma. Self-labelers endorsed more internalized stigma than those who did not self-label.Findings suggest that associations between stigma and self-labeling are complex. Consistent with modified labeling theory, stigma may both act as a barrier to adopting a label of MI and increase vulnerability to stigma if the label is adopted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Testing for COVID-19 is important for identifying, tracing, and treating COVID-19 cases as well as informing policy decisions Evidence from other disease epidemics suggests that anticipated stigma and stereotypes are barriers to testing for disease Anticipated stigma may undermine testing due to labeling avoidance (i e , efforts to avoid receiving the label of a stigmatized status) and stereotypes may undermine testing by reducing perceived vulnerability to disease Given the importance of scaling up COVID-19 testing, the current study explored the potential roles of anticipated stigma and stereotypes in COVID-19 testing A cross-sectional, online survey was conducted with 845 United States adults in April 2020 Measures were adapted from previous studies of stigma associated with infectious diseases, and participants were asked about the likelihood that they would seek a COVID-19 test if one were to be ordered by their doctor Analyses demonstrated that participants who anticipated greater COVID-19 stigma and endorsed COVID-19 stereotypes to a greater degree reported that they would be less likely to seek a COVID-19 test Notably, endorsement of anticipated stigma and stereotypes was low, and knowledge and fear were stronger predictors of testing than stigma Nonetheless, results provide preliminary evidence that anticipated stigma and stereotypes may represent barriers to testing in the context of COVID-19, similar to other diseases As COVID-19 tests become more widely available, efforts may be needed to address COVID-19 stigma alongside other barriers such as access and knowledge to maximize testing efforts (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

OBJECTIVE There is evidence that pregnancy-specific stress is associated with preterm birth. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between change in pregnancy-specific stress over the course of pregnancy and birth outcomes (i.e., preterm birth and gestational age) in an understudied but vulnerable group using a theoretically derived model. METHODS Multivariate linear and logistic regression techniques were used to examine the association between pregnancy-specific stress (measured in second and third trimester) and length of gestation (i.e., preterm birth and gestational age) among a sample of 920 Black and/or Latina adolescent and young women. RESULTS Second trimester pregnancy-specific stress was not associated with preterm birth or gestational age. Third trimester pregnancy-specific stress was associated with preterm birth but not with gestational age. Change in pregnancy-specific stress between second and third trimester was significantly associated with increased likelihood of preterm delivery and shortened gestational age, even after controlling for important biological, behavioral, psychological, interpersonal, and sociocultural risk factors. CONCLUSIONS Findings emphasize the importance of measuring pregnancy-specific stress across pregnancy, as the longitudinal change from second to third trimester was significantly associated with length of gestation measured both as a dichotomous variable (preterm birth) and a continuous variable (gestational age). Furthermore, this is the first study to observe the association of pregnancy-specific stress with length of gestation in this understudied population-unique in age, race, and ethnicity.