Seeing Context through Metaphor: Using Communications Research to Bring a Social Determinants Perspective to Public Thinking about Child Abuse and Neglect

Nathaniel Kendall-Taylor and Kate Stanley
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Nathaniel Kendall-Taylor: The FrameWorks Institute, 1333 H St NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA
Kate Stanley: The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Weston House, 42 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NH, UK

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-21

Abstract: Human beings think in metaphor and reason through analogy. The metaphors through which we think influence how we understand and feel about social issues as well as the actions that we see as appropriate and important. Metaphors can be used to increase understanding of how issues work and increase the salience of a given issue, build support for programs and policies necessary to address the issue, and instigate demand for change and civic action. In this paper, we use a mixed methods research design, including brief qualitative interviews, experimental surveys, and focus groups, to test the ability of different metaphors to influence public understanding of the social determinants of child abuse and neglect in the UK. We find one metaphor in particular that improves people’s understanding of the social causes of child maltreatment and increases support for structural solutions. This metaphor can be used to build support for preventative public health solutions.

Keywords: communication science; culture and health; social determinants; child abuse and neglect; metaphor; science translation; public policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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