Subjective Well-Being among Parents of Children with Special Educational Needs in Hong Kong: Impacts of Stigmatized Identity and Discrimination under Social Unrest and COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest have posed a unique set of challenges to Hong Kong. During these two social events, parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) who were already experiencing caregiving pressure, likely coped with additional stressors; they were at a higher risk of mental health problems. A pre-registered, cross-sectional survey study was carried out among 234 Hong Kong parents of children with SEN, investigating the associations of stigmatized identity, perceived discrimination, and subjective well-being under the impact of these social events. Utilizing the Bayesian modelling, we found that highly self-stigmatized parents not only perceived more daily-life discriminating behaviors against them, but also reported having higher distress, more negative emotions, and lower life satisfaction. A higher perceived impact of social events and more discrimination were also associated with lower well-being. Additionally, stigmatized identity, perceived discrimination, and perceived impact of social events demonstrated unique associations with well-being variables, indicating they were substantial stressors. The study called out for public attention to the mental health conditions among parents of children with SEN and other disadvantaged groups in society.

Risks of expressing your authentic self in sport: the influence of stigma covering on perceived job fit and hiring recommendations

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine how identity covering techniques can influence raters' perceptions of job candidates who have a socially stigmatized identity. Specifically, the authors explore how raters respond to two types of candidates: one who does not mention his gay identity during the interview process, and one who openly discusses their gay identity during the interview process. The authors also investigate whether job type (sport operations vs business operations) and the rater's views toward social equality influence perceptions of job fit and subsequent hiring recommendations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted an experiment to examine whether an applicant's level of stigma covering, type of job posting and rater's views toward social equality influenced perceptions of job fit. The authors then tested whether perceptions of job fit mediated hiring recommendations. Adults in the USA (n = 237) who were employed and had served on a hiring committees participated in the survey.FindingsWhen applying for sport operations jobs, as opposed to business operations jobs, gay male applicants are viewed more favorably if they engage in high levels of identity covering. Further, the applicant's level of stigma covering influenced raters who reported high or moderate social dominance orientation but did not impact raters with low social dominance orientation. Overall, the findings reveal that identity covering techniques do have relevance for studying the dynamics of hiring gay men who apply for jobs in the sport industry.Originality/valueThe study advances the understanding of identity management techniques by examining the nuances of how applicants can choose to disclose their stigmatized identity, and how those decision influence the hiring process.

Resourceful Actors, Not Weak Victims: Reframing Refugees’ Stigmatized Identity Enhances Long-Term Academic Engagement

Refugees suffer from a stigmatized identity portraying them as weak, unskilled victims. We developed a brief (~10-min) intervention that reframed refugees’ identity as being, by its very nature, a source of strength and skills. Reading and writing exercises, provided by a university, highlighted how refugees’ experiences helped them acquire skills such as perseverance and the ability to cope with adversity, which could help them succeed in a new country. In Experiment 1 ( N = 93), the intervention boosted refugees’ (a) confidence in their ability to succeed at an imagined university and (b) challenge seeking: Participants were 70% more likely to take on an academic exercise labeled as difficult. In Experiment 2, the intervention, delivered to refugees entering an online university ( N = 533), increased engagement in the online-learning environment by 23% over the subsequent year. There was also evidence of greater course completion. It is possible to reframe stigmatized individuals’ identity as inherently strong and resourceful, helping them put their strengths to use.

Examining the relationships between social identities of British Asian transgender /gender non-conforming and well-being.

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the roles of social identity (British Asian / TGNC)against mental health problems (depression) and well-being.Methods: This study is a mixed methods pilot study. British Asian TGNC adults were our targeted subjects. An online anonymous survey was opened for four weeks and shared by some LGBTQ+ communities in the U.K. We recruited three participants, which did not meet planned sample size requirements.Results: Due to the lack of participants, we cannot reject our support any of our hypothesis. Based on the qualitative analysis, we inferred some possible findings: (1) double stigmatized individuals reported great experiences of discrimination related to their stigmatized social identity; (2) people who hold double stigmatized identity may show asymmetric identification; (3) affirmation of multiple identities could provide resilience and then foster mental health and well-beings.Conclusion: Our study demonstrated the difficulties in recruitment double minority group of people. The reasons of the failure in recruitment could be (1) double stigmatized identity may lead to concealment (2) COVID-19 causes problems in direct contact. Implications on recruitment issues within double stigmatized identities are extensively discussed, with discussions against how these areas relate to effective contact and engagement with specialist service for British Asian TGNC individuals and communities. Having a theoretical and practical understanding of these issues may address future recruitment difficulties

Resurrecting and Appending Identities: The Role of Nonprofits in Managing Stigmatized Identity

Homelessness is an issue that impacts more than half a million people in the United States every day. Nonprofits are often on the front lines of efforts to aid individuals without homes. In this study, we focus on an area underexplored in the nonprofit literature, stigma, to explore the nonprofit’s role as a critical catalyst in managing stigma within and among client beneficiaries. Based on our interpretive analysis of interviews and observations of the nonprofit Running for Change (RFC), we delineate how RFC created conditions under which beneficiaries without homes could resurrect former identities and append new identities for themselves as part of the stigma management process. Our work carries implications for prior research on nonprofit organizing related to constituent participation and beneficiary empowerment and opens up new pathways for nonprofit partitioners to think about the agentic capacities of beneficiaries.

I may be Latino/a but I am a citizen: Distancing from a stigmatized identity

Discrimination is often perceived as stemming from outgroups. Yet, intragroup hostilities between Latinx in the US might occur if disassociation from a stigmatized sub-group may serve to protect one’s status. This paper tests potential disassociation effects by examining whether US Latinx distance themselves from an associated stigmatized identity by supporting adverse policies regarding Latinx immigrants. Two studies (n=273 and n=8634) found that citizenship status was linked to support for adverse policies: more US-born Latinx considered immigrants a burden than Latinx of unknown status or non-citizens. Some Latinx citizens might cut off reflected failure associated with being an immigrant, because distancing might support coping with cultural demands of US residence and distancing from recent immigrants might prevent transference of negative stereotypes.

Christianity as a Concealable Stigmatized Identity (CSI) among Biology Graduate Students

In interviews with Christian graduate students in biology using the concealable stigmatized identities framework, it was found that Christian graduate students perceive, anticipate, and experience stigma against Christians in the biology community.