Communications to Children About Mental Illness and Their Role in Stigma Development: an Integrative Review

Background: Limited literature on the stigma of mental illness has examined the socio-cultural processes involved in the development of stigma around mental health in children, which emerges in mid-childhood (7-11 years). Greater understanding might inform preventative interventions.

Aims: This review aims to integrate disparate theoretical and empirical research to provide an overview of social communications to children aged 7--11 years about mental illness and their role in the development of stigmatised views. Four key socio-cultural contexts (the media, school, peers, parents) of relevance to children's development will be considered.

Method: Systematic literature searches were conducted within electronic databases and abstracts were scanned to identify relevant studies. Fifteen papers were selected for the review.

Results: The review found few studies have directly examined communications about mental illness to children. Available evidence suggests messages across children's socio-cultural contexts are characterised by silence and stigma, which may shape children's developing views. Specific theoretical frameworks are lacking; possible mechanisms of transmission are discussed.

Conclusions: This review suggests overcoming stigma will require efforts targeting young children, explicitly tackling mental illness, and spanning multiple social spheres: further research is warranted.