Date of Conferral

5-9-2025

Date of Award

May 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Jessica Hart

Abstract

Mental illness is frequently associated with mass shootings in news media, which can result in negative stigma among individuals diagnosed with mental illness. While mental illness and mass shootings have been explored previously, social media perceptions have not yet been examined in relation to mental illness stigma and mass shootings. The purpose of this study was to examine public mental illness stigma, mass shootings, and perceptions through social media in a correlational study subjected to regression analysis. The theoretical framework for the study was based on Tajfel and Turner et al.’s theory of social identity and intergroup behaviors. The analysis in the study was a regression analysis with a correlational design. The study examined if social media, public mental illness stigma, and demographics predict perceptions of mass shootings as well as whether specific types of social media are also predictors. The results of this study showed a statistically significant relationship between social media use among participants, perceptions of mass shootings (respondents feeling mad in response to news of mass shootings), and perceptions of mental illness stigma (respondents’ response to the belief that mentally ill people tend to be violent). Of the four research questions, only one was found to be significant and able to reject the null hypothesis. The other research questions were still examined for relevant information to the study. This study has implications for positive social change through understanding the relationships between social media perceptions, mass shootings, and public mental illness stigma. The study can also be beneficial in considering aid for development in minimizing mental illness stigma.

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