Understanding stigma consciousness: A multilevel analysis across diverse stigmatized groups

TL;DR

This study explores how people in stigmatized groups differ in their expectations of being stigmatized, finding that personal experiences and beliefs are more influential than group membership.

Contribution

The study introduces a multilevel analysis showing that stigma consciousness is mainly shaped by individual factors rather than group-level characteristics.

Findings

Stigma consciousness varies more between individuals than between groups.

Individual-level factors like discrimination experiences and ingroup identification predict stigma consciousness.

Stigma consciousness is better understood as a personal psychological trait shaped by individual perceptions.

Abstract

Members of stigmatized groups differ in how they perceive, reflect on and cope with their stigmatized group status. One potential variable explaining these differences is stigma consciousness: the extent to which individuals expect to be stigmatized based on their group membership (Pinel, J. Pers. Soc. Psychol., 76, 1999, 114). However, theorizing and research on predictors of interindividual and between‐group variance in stigma consciousness are limited so far. The present research systematically investigated several variables potentially contributing to differences in stigma consciousness at the individual, stigma, and group levels. Multilevel regression modelling using data collected from N = 3969 members of 18 different stigmatized groups revealed that stigma consciousness varies primarily between individuals and less between groups and is largely predicted by individual‐level factors, including discrimination experiences, ingroup identification and ideological beliefs. Our findings help to refine the conceptualization of stigma consciousness as an individual psychological characteristic, shaped primarily by individual perceptions and experiences rather than group memberships. Future research directions are discussed, highlighting further individual‐level predictors as well as outcomes of stigma consciousness.