Gen X icon Winona Ryder spoke candidly about her struggles with depression in the 1990’s, producing and starring in Girl, Interrupted. Gen Z may know her as the mom in Stranger Things.
Twenty years later, a new generation revisits a 2002 study of stigma
STUDY: Ben-Porath DD et al, Journal of American College Health 2026
STUDY TYPE: Cross-temporal vignette comparison
FUNDING: Independent
Background
Stigma seems to be on the decline, but looks can be deceiving. This study gives a direct measure, comparing impressions from college students over two decades using the same case vignette.
The Study
- 379 undergraduates (2022 to 2024) read one vignette about a student, “Tom,” described as depressed or with a back injury, who sought treatment or didn’t.
- Participants rated Tom on a 32-item impression scale (stability, warmth, competence, confidence), using the same vignettes from a 2002 study of 380 Gen X students, merging both datasets (N=759) to compare generations.
Results
- Gen X rated a depressed person as more emotionally unstable than one with a back injury; that gap was smaller in Gen Z (generation-by-diagnosis interaction, P=0.003).
- Gen X rated a depressed, help-seeking peer as more emotionally unstable (mean 3.00 of 5) than Gen Z did (2.54), a drop in stigma favoring treatment-seeking (P<0.001).
- No generational difference emerged for a peer with a back injury, showing the shift was specific to depression.
Limitations
Effect sizes were small (partial eta-squared under 0.03), so the shift, while real, is modest. About 80% of participants were White at one university, and only depression was tested.
Practice Implications
- It’s a wonderful thing to see stigma melt away.
- Meanwhile, concerns about overdiagnosis and self-diagnosis are on the rise.
—Chris Aiken, MD
Director, Psych Partners
Editor in Chief, Carlat Psychiatry Report
