Anti-stigma Communication in the 21st Century: Theory, Research, and Applications
Stigmas are created, spread, amplified, or reduced through communication. Many people are affected by structural, public, or self-stigmatization because of their gender, race, age, disability, health status, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc. Attempts to mitigate stigmatization through interpersonal, mediated, or mass communication remain challenging and yield inconsistent results. Moreover, findings regarding successful or unsuccessful communication approaches are difficult to compare among studies in the context of health communication as well as across other related fields of research. This is due to the fact that substantial differences exist in the literature regarding theoretical conceptualizations, operationalization and measurement approaches, as well as communication-based intervention strategies. Meanwhile, international organizations are claiming for urgent and quick solutions to hinder stigmatization, resulting in insufficient initiatives with limited impact and incongruent results.This Research Topic aims to address these issues by encouraging innovative research from the field of health communication and related disciplines targeting various topics (e.g., people with mental illness or disability, social norms, moral values, victims of tragedy, structural discrimination) that enhance our understanding and the comparability of the theoretical foundations, mechanisms, measurement approaches, data analysis strategies, and implications related to anti-...