Understanding How Neurodivergent Adults Perceive Stigma and Social Acceptance by Society
Faculty Mentor
Ginette Blackhart
Mentor Home Department
Psychology
Short Abstract
Understanding How Neurodivergent Adults Perceive Stigma and Social Acceptance by Society Brianna Galloway and Dr. Ginette Blackhart, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. Neurodivergence is a term that has recently become popularized by its use by creators of social media platforms. Neurodivergence describes people whose brains and cognitive processes differ from those of the general population (who are known in contrast as neurotypical people). Disorders that fit under the umbrella of neurodivergence are Autism, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. Previous research has focused more on neurodivergent children, and has found that individuals with neurodivergent disorders are often treated poorly by peers. This leads to the question, “How do neurodivergent adults perceive how stigmatized and how socially accepted they are by society as a whole?” My first hypothesis is that neurodivergent adults tend to hold the view that society has low levels of social acceptance towards them, and they possibly believe that they are outright socially rejected by society. My second hypothesis is that neurodivergent adults will have similar perceptions about how much they are socially accepted by society (with some possible minor variations), regardless of which neurodivergent disorders they have. I will recruit participants by sending out/posting a survey on research sites like SONA, and I plan to post the survey on relevant subreddits to collect more data. I will use the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) Scale to measure internalized stigma, the Perceived Devaluation and Discrimination (PDD) Scale to measure externalized stigma, and I will find a scale to use to assess perceptions of social rejection. I expect that participants with neurodivergent disorders will report feeling stigmatized and socially rejected by society, and that this result will be similar for participants of any neurodivergent disorder.
Category
Social Sciences
Start Date
5-4-2024 8:00 AM
End Date
5-4-2024 9:00 AM
Location
D.P. Culp Center Room 272 (East Tennessee Room)
Understanding How Neurodivergent Adults Perceive Stigma and Social Acceptance by Society
D.P. Culp Center Room 272 (East Tennessee Room)
Understanding How Neurodivergent Adults Perceive Stigma and Social Acceptance by Society Brianna Galloway and Dr. Ginette Blackhart, Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. Neurodivergence is a term that has recently become popularized by its use by creators of social media platforms. Neurodivergence describes people whose brains and cognitive processes differ from those of the general population (who are known in contrast as neurotypical people). Disorders that fit under the umbrella of neurodivergence are Autism, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. Previous research has focused more on neurodivergent children, and has found that individuals with neurodivergent disorders are often treated poorly by peers. This leads to the question, “How do neurodivergent adults perceive how stigmatized and how socially accepted they are by society as a whole?” My first hypothesis is that neurodivergent adults tend to hold the view that society has low levels of social acceptance towards them, and they possibly believe that they are outright socially rejected by society. My second hypothesis is that neurodivergent adults will have similar perceptions about how much they are socially accepted by society (with some possible minor variations), regardless of which neurodivergent disorders they have. I will recruit participants by sending out/posting a survey on research sites like SONA, and I plan to post the survey on relevant subreddits to collect more data. I will use the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) Scale to measure internalized stigma, the Perceived Devaluation and Discrimination (PDD) Scale to measure externalized stigma, and I will find a scale to use to assess perceptions of social rejection. I expect that participants with neurodivergent disorders will report feeling stigmatized and socially rejected by society, and that this result will be similar for participants of any neurodivergent disorder.