The cognitive processes affected by exposure to stigma-related stress are conceptualized as thought processes (both the content of thoughts as well as the process of thinking) that exacerbate, maintain, or prolong symptoms of depression and anxiety. According to cognitive theories, general life stressors may influence mental health through their impact on cognitive processes (e.g., Cole & Turner, 1993), suggesting that stigma-related stressors may also initiate changes in cognitions that in turn confer risk for internalizing psychopathology. Two related cognitive risk factors for internalizing disorders considered in this section are hopelessness (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989) and pessimism (Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978; Carver & Scheier, 1998).
