The Effects of In-Group Identification on College Students’ Stigmatizing Attitudes Toward Peers With Mental Illness

Students with mental illness can feel stigmatized by their peers and may also have less perceived social support. However, it is thought that people are more likely to view someone more favorably if they perceive them as part of their in-group when sharing a common identity. Thus, an online survey was administered to 152 undergraduate students to investigate whether high in-group identification versus low in-group identification will lead to a more favorable view of a peer regardless of their mental health state and if a peer with stress would still be favored over a peer with mental illness. First, participants rated group identification with a hypothetical peer describing their Hunter College, CUNY experience in an audio clip. Then, participants heard the peer either reveal a mental health state of mental illness or stress. Finally, they rated perceived similarity and social distance toward the peer. Results of a factorial multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant main effects for both in-group identification, F(2, 147) = 8.01, p < .001, partial η2 = .10, and the peer’s mental health state, F(2, 147) = 8.00, p = .001, partial η2 = .10. Although the peer with mental illness was viewed less favorably than the peer with stress, irrespective of group identification, high in-group identification still led to a more positive evaluation of the peer than low in-group identification. These results are important for understanding how increasing awareness of group identification may reduce stigma toward students with mental illness and ultimately reduce barriers to care.