Stereotype threat contributes to social difficulties in people with schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
The experience of stereotype threat (where the prospect of conforming to a stereotype, or of being treated in terms of it, becomes self-threatening) affects members of social groups about whom devaluing stereotypes exist. Although a widely endorsed stereotype of schizophrenia concerns social skill impairment, it is unclear whether the experience of stereotype threat impacts social functioning in this group. The purpose of the present study was to test whether people with schizophrenia would perform more poorly in a social setting in which they felt stereotyped as mentally ill.


METHODS
Thirty individuals with schizophrenia engaged in conversations with two confederates, one of whom they were told knew nothing about them (control conversation), and the other of whom they were told had been informed of their diagnosis (stereotype threat conversation). In reality, neither confederate had been informed of participants' mental health status.


RESULTS
Although participants with schizophrenia did not perceive any differences in their own social behaviour across the two conditions, their social skill was rated by the confederates as poorer in the stereotype threat conversation on three out of the six measures used.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that social skill difficulties in people with schizophrenia may be exacerbated by their awareness that others know of their diagnosis. These findings have implications for disclosure of mental health status.
Henry
Julie D
JD
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. julie.henry@unsw.edu.au
von Hippel
Courtney
C
Shapiro
Lisa
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012918:Social Alienation; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D055815:Young Adult