2 - (SYM 131) Stigma and Emotion Processing: A Systematic Review

Abstract Body
Stigma is defined as the co-occurrence of labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination in a context in which power is exercised (Link & Phelan, 2001). The psychological mediation framework (Hatzenbuehler, 2009) posits that disruptions in emotion processing, such as emotion dysregulation, mediate the link between stigma-related experiences and stigmatized individuals' disproportionately high risk of mental health problems. For example, an increasing amount of work has begun to examine associations between stigma-related stress and emotion regulation for LGBTQ individuals. However, most studies examining stigma and emotion processing use broad, self-reported measures of emotion processes (e.g., a composite score of emotion dysregulation) and focus on a single stigmatized group. Additionally, much of this work has focused almost exclusively on emotion regulation strategies, with much less attention given to other emotion processes that may precede the use of such strategies (e.g., emotion identification, emotional awareness). Given that emotion processes are one of the key sets of mechanisms conferring risk for psychopathology among stigmatized individuals, it is critical to understand the status of the empirical literature. A systematic search of the databases Medline, PsycInfo, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, and Sociology was conducted using a comprehensive set of search terms of emotion processes and stigma, with a focus on stigma related to race/ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical disability, neurodivergence, and weight. Articles were eligible for inclusion if they quantitatively examined the relationship between stigma-related stress and an emotion process within a stigmatized group. Our review highlights several gaps in research examining stigma and emotion processing, with a specific focus on methods for measuring emotion processing and stigma, different types of emotion processing, and differences in the experiences of various stigmatized groups. Through synthesizing existing literature and highlighting areas for further investigation, this review contributes to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying mental health disparities in stigmatized populations, which ultimately can inform targeted treatment and intervention for stigmatized individuals.