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How children with facial differences are perceived by non-affected children and adolescents: Perceiver effects on stereotypical attitudes


Masnari, Ornella; Schiestl, C; Weibel, L; Wuttke, F; Landolt, M A (2013). How children with facial differences are perceived by non-affected children and adolescents: Perceiver effects on stereotypical attitudes. Body Image, 10(4):515-523.

Abstract

Children with a facial difference are presumed to be at risk of social stigmatization. The purposes of this study were twofold: (1) to assess the effect of facial differences on social perceptions by unaffected children and adolescents; and (2) to identify perceiver characteristics that predict stereotypical attitudes toward facial differences. Participants were 344 non-affected children and adolescents, ages 8-17 years. Participants rated digitally altered images of 12 children depicted either with or without a facial difference. Results show that participants attributed less favorable characteristics to children with a facial difference than to those without. Moreover, participants reported less willingness to interact with or befriend a child with a facial difference. Significant predictors of low discriminative attitudes were older participant age and previous contact with someone with a facial difference. Our data call attention to the need for public education programs targeted at reducing negative attitudes toward facial differences.

Abstract

Children with a facial difference are presumed to be at risk of social stigmatization. The purposes of this study were twofold: (1) to assess the effect of facial differences on social perceptions by unaffected children and adolescents; and (2) to identify perceiver characteristics that predict stereotypical attitudes toward facial differences. Participants were 344 non-affected children and adolescents, ages 8-17 years. Participants rated digitally altered images of 12 children depicted either with or without a facial difference. Results show that participants attributed less favorable characteristics to children with a facial difference than to those without. Moreover, participants reported less willingness to interact with or befriend a child with a facial difference. Significant predictors of low discriminative attitudes were older participant age and previous contact with someone with a facial difference. Our data call attention to the need for public education programs targeted at reducing negative attitudes toward facial differences.

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Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:04 Faculty of Medicine > University Children's Hospital Zurich > Medical Clinic
06 Faculty of Arts > Institute of Psychology
Dewey Decimal Classification:610 Medicine & health
Scopus Subject Areas:Social Sciences & Humanities > Social Psychology
Social Sciences & Humanities > Applied Psychology
Social Sciences & Humanities > General Psychology
Uncontrolled Keywords:DoktoratPSYCH Erstautor
Language:English
Date:27 June 2013
Deposited On:22 Aug 2013 10:44
Last Modified:10 Nov 2023 02:39
Publisher:Elsevier
ISSN:1740-1445
OA Status:Closed
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.05.007
PubMed ID:23810827
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