Social Identity in Mental Health
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Social Identification Processes in Mental Health Difficulties
IRAS ID
229252
Contact name
N Mackett
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bath
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
This research investigate whether people identify as being part of a new social group when they perceive themselves to have mental health difficulties, i.e. how they relate to their ‘mental health social identity’. How individuals with mental health difficulties relate to their mental health social identity has important implications for overall wellbeing, as evidence suggests that sharing the social identity of a negatively valued group, e.g. those with mental health difficulties, can have a negative impact on individuals' self-esteem. However, there is also evidence to suggest that developing close connection with others will have a positive impact on self-esteem and wellbeing. It is not known if this is true for people with mental health difficulties.
Postmes and colleagues' model of social identification suggests that different social identification processes will be happening for those who have just begun to identify as having mental health difficulties when compared to those who have perceived themselves to have a mental health difficulty for longer. This model intimates that the relationship will be mediated by the amount and quality of contact individuals have with others with mental health difficulties. Additionally, we propose that positive identification with "mental health social identity" will be closely related to a person's overall wellbeing i.e. their quality of life and their self-esteem.
We intend to investigate this by asking people who have been recently identified as having a mental health difficulty, and those who have identified as having a mental health difficulty less recently to complete some questionnaires that examine social identification processes, how long individuals have spent with others with mental health difficulties, their self-esteem and wellbeing. This research will add to our theoretical understanding of social identification processes in mental health difficulties, with implications for both future research and clinical practice.
REC name
Wales REC 1
REC reference
18/WA/0183
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jul 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion