Stigma and Stigma Resilience: Role of the Undergraduate and the Campus Environment

Abstract

Rationale:

Stigma permeates disability experiences and compounds disability-related challenges.

Objective:

Identify individual and environmental factors of stigmatizing experiences of college students with learning disabilities (LDs) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methodology:

A qualitative descriptive design was used with a thematic analysis of 30 transcripts from group discussions among four cohorts of undergraduates with LD/ADHD (N = 52). The Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance Model was used in interpreting the stigmatizing experiences.

Findings:

The themes Perceived Misconceptions and Stigmatizing Actions describe key social-environmental factors. The theme Overcoming Stigmatizing Experiences elucidates key skills and processes for developing stigma resilience. These skills and processes were anchored in self-awareness and personally contextualized understanding of disability-related challenges and strengths, which were fostered during positive interactions with supportive others, such as instructors and mentors.

Implications:

Findings illustrate the biopsychosocial nature of stigma and highlight the role of individual and social-environmental factors in building stigma resilience among young adults with LD/ADHD.

Plain Language Summary

Understanding Stigma and Resilience Among College Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD

We studied how college students with learning disabilities (LDs) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience stigma, which means feeling judged or treated unfairly because of their disabilities. We talked to 52 undergraduates in four groups to understand their experiences and found three main things related to stigma. First, students feel like others have wrong ideas about them and their disabilities. Second, they experience actions from others that make them feel stigmatized. Third, they develop ways to overcome these experiences. Students became more resilient to stigma when they understood themselves better and had support from others like teachers and mentors. Stigma is not just a personal thing for students with LD/ADHD; but it is also influenced by the people around them and how they see themselves.