Hetherman 1 Katie Hetherman 250467615 Professor Robert Babe MIT 3000 Thursday December 2nd, 2010 Quantitative Content

Analysis The Mental Health Association of Canada was put into action by the Conservative federal government under Stephen Harper in 2006 as a response to Health Canadas recommendation for better funding for the prevention and treatment of mental illness among Canadians. A subject historically plagued by destructive stigma, the discussion of mental illness was to become more colloquial and accessible to the average citizen. Mental illness directly affects 20% of Canadians and will touch every person in one way or another in their lifetime.i Mainstream media outlets have the responsibility to generate this dialogue. This report will identify the relationship between the establishment of the Mental Health Association of Canada and two Canadian national daily newspapers The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. It is hypothesized that The Toronto Star, a more liberal publication, will have more sensitivity to the discussion of mental health than the more conservative The Globe and Mail. Though the conservative government initialized the Mental Health Association of Canada, The Globe and Mail discussed mental health with considerable specificity to individual illness though avoiding using stigmatic terminology. The Toronto Star published the term mental health more frequently though included less explicit mention of illness and more articles centering around constructive themes of general treatment and abolishment of stigma.

Hetherman 2 The aforementioned hypothesis is framed upon several considerations. Internally, many Canadians are aware of mental illness and have either experienced the distress themselves or have been through it alongside a loved one. Externally, the topics are rarely discussed. Like any healthcare system, the main driving force is the government who will have to put money in the budget and plans into action in order for change to occur. While organizations like the Canadian Association of Mental Health seek to offset the lack of federal funding through research and treatment facilities, a governmental presence is the ultimate method for systemic modification of action and attitudes. Methodology A quantitative analysis of The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail sought to investigate and track the predicted behaviour change through a variety of operations. Selecting a sampling frame meant choosing the two daily newspapers, defining the amount of articles to be analyzed and indicating how frequently the articles would be chosen. The top three articles per month by relevance rendered from the search term mental health were analyzed in four month intervals to a total of nine articles per year per paper. Once a sampling frame had been determined, the categories of analysis and methods of quantification were selected based on the research question and resulting hypothesis. Using a chart format, the total number of articles rendered from the search term mental health was recorded. Each article was then broken down into five categories. At the nominal level, the number of times the term mental health appeared was tallied to examine how censored the article was to stigmatic terminology. A further ratio level tally of the number of times the term mental health appeared in the headline was accounted for to assess whether or not the publishers used such terms to draw a reader in. At the interval level, on a scale from one to five,

Hetherman 3 tone was subjectively rated. At the ratio level, a total word count was recorded to assess how much space each article occupied within the newspaper. Finally, the type of mental health discussed was selected and accounted for on an interval level. Further explanation of the units of analysis can be found below. Units of Analysis The five categories vary across several forms of research and connect back to contribute to the overall proof of the hypothesis. The number of articles delivered by the search term mental health on the newspapers online archives for each month was simply counted and recorded. This method was effective in quantifying instances of publication and would return the same result if recorded by another coder. The number of times the phrase mental health appeared in the top three articles was counted using the Internet Explorer Find Tool (Ctrl + F). This method was also effective for quantification as it highlighted the desired term and required only a tally of the instances which could be easily and flawlessly repeated by another coder. Tone was then rated on a scale from one to five. One represented a deconstructive tone while five represented a constructive tone. Subjectivity is deliberately present in this unit of analysis. In order to properly assess the tone of the article, each coder must read through the article and determine the spectrum upon which the article is detrimental to the progress of mental health awareness. Word count per article was obtained by copying the article into word processing software and recording the total number of words, another process which is highly reliable and replicable. Finally, the type of mental health discussed was chosen from a list and could include an unlimited number of choices based on the contents of the article. The choices for discussion topics were as follows: depression, bipolar, anxiety, schizophrenia, generalized personality disorders (which often explain intent of murder etc.), eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia),

Hetherman 4 suicide, stress, self-esteem, addiction, abuse, legal, government, treatment, stigma, general and other. The other topic was eventually removed because the list was so exhaustive it did not make use of the category. While this method is relatively reliable among differing coders, there is the slight possibility of discrepancy. For example, what one coder might read as an eating disorder, another coder could read as discussion of self-esteem. In such a case, the coding instructions recommended including both options as topics, making the unit more reliable. Research Design The analysis was completed across many plains. Each article was assessed on various levels, resulting in a rich array of information all recorded on a central chart for each publication. The resulting research was then divided into several arenas for further discussion using bar graphs, line graphs and pie charts. Tallying and recording each distinct unit was critical to the initial stages of the project, but comparing the data from before the establishment of the Mental Health Commission of Canada in 2006 to the data after 2006 was ultimately the central purpose. Recording articles with such frequency certainly demanded a large time commitment allowing for accurate and distinct conclusions while six units of analysis pertained to the complexity of the overall research. Analysis of Research and Conclusions Taken as a whole, the research was very conclusive. There was a significant overall increase in both newspapers in post-2006 publication. The Toronto Star published more articles rendered from the search term mental health before the launch of the Mental Health Commission of Canada though The Globe and Mail took the lead post-2006 as can be seen in Table 1.1 and 1.2. This data also indicates that the Globe and Mail has the most articles rendered overall from 2001 to 2009.

Hetherman 5 Table 1.1 Number of Articles Rendered from the Search Term Mental Health per Month per Publication
70 60 50 Globe & Mail Month 1 40 30 20 10 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Publication Date Toronto Star Month 1 Globe & Mail Month 2 Toronto Star Month 2 Globe & Mail Month 3 Toronto Star Month 3

Table 1.2 Number of Articles Rendered by the Search Term Mental Health per Year per Publication
160 140 Number of Articles 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Publication Date G&M Total TS Total

Number of Articles

Hetherman 6 The appearance of the term mental health in each article was telling to how the newspaper portrayed the topic. Presumably, the presence of the term indicates a higher degree of comfort with the subject and use is more casual. The more a term is used, the more desensitized the reader will become to its stigma. As mental health is a delicate topic politically loaded with judgment and preconceptions, the manner in which a newspaper discusses it becomes a platform for the behaviour of the audience. According to the research, The Toronto Star used the term mental health considerably more often than The Globe and Mail. The Toronto Stars use of the phrase was consistently higher than The Globe and Mail both before and after 2006, suggesting the liberal paper is more open to the concept of discussing mental health with its readers. Table 1.3 offers a complete view of the appearance of the term in progressive terms via a line graph. Table 1.3 Appearance of the Term Mental Health per Article per Month per Publication
20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Toronto Star Globe and Mail

Appearance of Term

Date of Publication

Furthering the discussion of the appearance of the selected term, it was critical to also examine how often the term was present in the articles headlines. The Toronto Star included the term mental health in 38% of its articles while The Globe and Mail only included the term in 13% of articles as can be seen in tables 1.4 and 1.5.

Hetherman 7 Table 1.4 Percentage of Times the Term Mental Health was Used in The Toronto Star Headline

Used 38% Not Used 62%

Table 1.5 Percentage of Times the Term Mental Health was Used in The Globe and Mail Headline

Used 13%

Not Used 87%

Tone was a subjective, though essential piece of the research. If a newspaper was publishing a significant number of articles about mental health but they were full of slander and stigma-building language, the relevance of the data would have been altered. Tone was rated on a scale from one to five. Overall for each publication, there were drastic highs and drastic lows,

Hetherman 8 but a calculated average landed at three for each newspaper as can be seen in Table 1.6. Due to the mundane results generated by this information, the ratings were further analyzed per paper for the time periods before and after 2006. These results were much more conclusive and can be seen in Tables 1.7, 1.8, 1.9 and 1.10. While the results became clearer after dividing them into time frames, the initial hypothesis is questioned. One would assume the overall tone would increase after the initialization of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, though this was not the case. It can be inferred that the tone did not improve because mental health was being taken more seriously with the Commission in place. Generally, the topic cannot be discussed with much levity due to its monumental implications therefore it is possible that the articles decreased in constructivism but increased in awareness campaigning. It is important to relate these results to the overall increase in articles containing the words mental health because it insists that although the overall tone has lowered, the coverage significantly increased. This suggests that there could be an equal number of constructive articles with an additional group of articles pertaining to more destructively natured topics exposing the realities of mental illness. Articles pertaining to government and legal stories tended to be relatively neutral in nature. There was little deliberation in tone; rather the articles focused more on the delivering of the information. The topics of abuse and addiction were typically written with a destructive tone while articles written about treatment and the abolition of stigma were usually written with a constructive tone.

Hetherman 9 Table 1.6 Tone Rating per Article

6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Dec-03 Dec-04 Dec-05 Dec-06 Dec-07 Mar-03 Mar-04 Mar-05 Mar-06 Mar-07 Mar-08 Dec-08 Mar-09 Jun-03 Jun-04 Jun-05 Jun-06 Jun-07 Jun-08 Sep-03 Sep-04 Sep-05 Sep-06 Sep-07 Sep-08 Jun-09 Sep-09 Toronto Star Globe and Mail

Tone Rating

Date of Publication

Table 1.7 Toronto Star Tone Rating pre-2006

Five 25% One 6% Two 22%

Four 36%

Three 11%

Hetherman 10 Table 1.8 Toronto Star Tone Rating post-2006

Four 17% Five 0% One 30% Three 9%

Two 44%

Table 1.9 Globe and Mail Tone Rating pre-2006

Five 19% One 14%

Four 22% Three 20%

Two 25%

Table 1.10 Globe and Mail Tone Rating post-2006

Five 11%

One 26%

Four 41% Three 4%

Two 18%

Hetherman 11 Word count per article was an indication of how much of the newspaper was dedicated to the discussion of mental health. Word count from pre-2006 to post-2006 did not vary drastically, though there was a slight increase in each newspaper as can be seen in Table 1.11. The Globe and Mail published a slightly higher number of words around the topic of mental health than The Toronto Star, though it is crucial to remember they did not mention the term mental health in nearly as many headlines or as many times as The Toronto Star. Table 1.11 Word Count per Article per Newspaper
2000 1800 1600 1400 Word Count 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 Dec-03 Dec-04 Dec-05 Dec-06 Dec-07 Mar-03 Mar-04 Mar-05 Mar-06 Mar-07 Mar-08 Dec-08 Mar-09 Jun-03 Jun-04 Jun-05 Jun-06 Jun-07 Jun-08 Toronto Star Globe and Mail

Sep-04

Sep-03

Sep-05

Sep-06

Sep-07

Sep-08

Jun-09

Publication Date

The type of mental health discussed was of particular interest. A comparison chart outlining the covered topics by publication can be seen in Table 1.12. It is concluded that The Toronto Star frequently discussed constructive topics such as treatment and the abolition of stigma while The Globe and Mail is more likely to discuss specific illnesses. It can therefore be said that The Toronto Star, with its high use of mental health in headlines and throughout its articles is correlated to its generalization of mental illness with a focus on treatment as can be seen in Table 1.13. The Globe and Mail uses the specific term mental health less than The

Sep-09

Hetherman 12 Toronto Star, but its discussion of the spectrum of mental illness is more specific as can be seen in Table 1.14. Table 1.12 Type of Mental Health Discussed per Publication
45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Toronto Star Globe and Mail

Number of Appearances

Context of Discussion

Table 1.13 Type of Mental Health Discussed The Toronto Star

depression general bipolar anxiety schizophrenia personality eating disorders suicide stress stigma self-esteem addiction

abuse

legal treatment government

Hetherman 13 Table 1.14 Type of Mental Health Discussed The Globe and Mail
general depression bipolar anxiety stigma schizophrenia personality eating disorders suicide treatment stress

self-esteem government addiction legal abuse

Overarching Conclusions In general, The Toronto Star is considered to be a more effective newspaper in communicating the general concepts of mental illness while The Globe and Mail is better at conveying the complexity of individual instances. The hypothesis was proven correct as the coverage from the liberal publication was more open to the use of stigmatic terminology in context of treatment and stigma in both articles and headlines while the conservative paper was more careful with stigmatic terminology but effective at reporting the realities of specific illnesses. The time period surrounding the establishment of the Mental Health Commission of Canada was a key factor for the increase of coverage in both newspapers, though the articles began to lean towards an increasingly destructive tone.

Hetherman 14 Self- Critique Overall, the research was complete and covered a wide variety of investigative elements. As a topic, mental health is very broad and in order to zero in on areas of interest, more cognitive mental illnesses such as learning disabilities, developmental disabilities and neural degeneration illnesses were not included in favour of emotional and psychological mental illness. A more complex research topic including these other illnesses would have been too broad and would have lessened the impact of the research. Subjectivity present in the use of tone was a concern, though it was necessary in order to achieve a qualitative implication reading on the quantitative analysis. The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star each have their strengths and weaknesses in mental health news reporting before and after the establishment of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. A less in depth and complex investigation of these units of analysis would have posed a threat to the discussion of the repercussions.

The Report on Mental Illness in Canada, October 2002. EBIC 1998 (Health Canada 2002),

Stephens et al., 2001

Hetherman 15