Author: Khrystyn Pamintuan

Drinking and Driving: Perceived Stigma and Help Seeking Behaviors Khrystyn Pamintuan Mentor: Roxane Cohen Silver Individuals perceived to have a stigmatizing condition may be ostracized from others and may lack the support needed to cope with their circumstance. Female undergraduates (N=152) from the University of California, Irvine participated in a study to determine if differences in the severity of the consequences of a DUI offense influence social distancing. Participants were randomly assigned to meet with a confederate who disclosed either being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and injuring someone, or provided no information (the control condition). Participants were interviewed about their life events, listened to an interview recording of the confederate, completed pre- and post-measure surveys, and took part in a video-recorded interaction with the confederate. The results demonstrate how the amount of alcohol-related behaviors to which the participant is exposed or in which she takes part affects the extent of social distancing towards the confederate’s varying conditions, and her likelihood of seeking professional help for heavy alcohol consumption.