| Description |
Social influence is our response to the social environment, encompassing thoughts, emotions, actions, and our tendency to follow norms, conform, and obey authority. Three types of social influence including normative (i.e., conformity to groups), informational (i.e., seeking advice or information), and authority influence (i.e., obedience to authority figures) were examined in relation to one another and social identity (an individual's selfconcept derived from perceived membership in a relevant social group). Further, social influence and aspects of social identity (age, generation, gender, religion, race/ethnicity, and student/faculty status) were examined in relation with comfort levels in discussing mental health challenges with family and friends, perceptions of mental health stigma within the community, and help-seeking behavior. The study aimed to (1) explore if specific aspects of social identity and types of social influence were correlated; and (2) identify factors (i.e., type of social influence and social identity) that correlate to perceptions of mental health stigma in the community, comfort levels discussing mental health challenges with family and friends, and help-seeking behavior. The study recruited 86 University of Utah student and faculty participants ranging from 18-64 years old to participate in a 13-question online survey. Findings confirmed a correlation between comfort discussing mental health with family/friends and perception of stigma within the community, indicating that greater ease in discussing mental health may reduce perceived stigma. However, no correlations were found with help-seeking behavior among aspects of social identity, types of social influence, comfort levels discussing mental health challenges, and perceptions of mental health stigma within the community. Comfort levels discussing mental health challenges with family and friends were correlated with ii gender, with men expressing higher discomfort than women. Christians reported higher levels of authoritative social influence compared to Agnostics, indicating potential differences in obeying authority among religious groups. The study's findings revealed associations between perceptions of mental health stigma, discomfort discussing mental health issues with family and friends, and social identity factors like gender and religious affiliation. These insights emphasize the need for targeted interventions to foster open dialogue and combat stigma in discussions of mental health, further examine the correlation between authoritative social influence and religion, and additionally explore roles that social influence and social identity generally play in daily decision-making. |
