會大眾對於得到某些疾病的人們經常帶有刻板印象(stereotype)或是偏見(prejudice)的眼光,本研究的目的是想了解台灣的社會大眾對哪些疾病有污名化(stigma)的現象,以及,他們是用哪些向度(dimension)來看這些受污名的疾病。本研究採取社會表徵的觀點(the view of social representation)探討此問題。研究一先以內容分析法(content analysis)和調查法(questionnaire survey)蒐集和確定有哪些疾病受到污名,結果得到SARS、愛滋病、皮膚病、小兒麻痺、性病、憂鬱症、藥物成癮、精神病、兔唇(唇顎裂)、性功能障礙(腎虧)十種污名疾病。研究二再以研究一所蒐集到的十個疾病,請91位大學生進行兩兩疾病的相似性判斷,再以多元尺度法(Multidimensional Scaling, MDS)找出污名疾病的向度,結果得到可見性、傳染性、可接近性、安全性等向度。兩個研究的結果顯示,受污名的疾病和向度在特定的社會脈絡(social context)下,具有文化特殊性,但是透過大眾媒體的溝通傳播,仍有其世界普同性。
From the social representation perspective, two studies were conducted to investigate what diseases were stigmatized in Taiwan society, and which dimensions people use to represent them. The content analysis and the questionnaire survey were used in study 1. Ten diseases were obtained: SARS, AIDS, skin disease, infantile paralysis, chancre, melancholia, drug addict, psychosis, harelip, and kidney disease. In study 2, the 91 undergraduate students performed a paired comparison task in which they were asked to compare the ten diseases in terms of their similarity/dissimilarity. Results of a multidimensional scaling analysis indicated that the stigmatized diseases were represented in four dimensions: visibility, infection, safety, and approachability. The cultural universality and specificity of social representation of the stigmatized diseases were discussed.