Media images convey a fear-inducing and negative picture of dementia

Conducted at the University of Eastern Finland, a new study shows that images portraying dementia in Finnish newspapers often paint a clichéd and negative picture. The findings were published in Age and Ageing.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers analyzed all images accompanying news about dementia that were published in Finland's four largest newspapers between 2018 and 2021.

The findings show that these images convey a narrow, fear-inducing and often negative picture of dementia. Most images depicted people with dementia as elderly, frail and dependent on others. Common visual elements included grey hair, wrinkled hands, sad or vacant expressions and passive demeanour. Images portraying lonely figures were frequently used. Images of younger, working-age individuals with dementia remained largely absent, even though approximately one in ten cases of dementia is diagnosed before the age of 65.

Perceptions conveyed by these images do not reflect the people I meet in my clinic at all. In real life, people diagnosed with dementia are just as well-groomed and polished as their peers. Anxiety- and fear-inducing images used in mass media can increase fears and the stigma associated with dementia, possibly delaying people from seeking care."

Eino Solje, Associate Professor, Principal Investigator, University of Eastern Finland

Emotionally charged visual metaphors were also frequently used. Dementia was illustrated with head-shaped puzzles with pieces missing from the brain, with silhouettes that had fragments flying away from the area of the brain, and with trees that were shedding autumn leaves in the wind.

"One interesting observation was that more than a third of the images used were not at all aligned with the content of the story they illustrated. For example, stories about younger people with dementia were accompanied by images of elderly hands and puzzle metaphors," Solje adds.

Stories dealing with dementia prevention tended to feature more positive imagery. These images made references to active ageing and well-being by portraying physical activity and social interaction.

"However, such images can also reinforce a normative ideal of what constitutes 'good ageing'. This may create an impression that dementia is a personal failure, which again contributes to stigma," notes Postdoctoral Researcher Sanna-Maria Nurmi, the lead author of the article.

According to the researchers, drug- and treatment-focused imagery is also problematic. Images showing drugs, for instance, may mislead people to think that a curative treatment for dementia exists, when no such treatment is currently available.

It is also noteworthy that most of the images used were stock photos. Individuals appearing in those photos are not living with dementia but rather symbolise the condition. Stock photos often rely on familiar visual clichés, such as wrinkled hands, sad expressions or puzzle pieces, which do not reflect the experiences of people with dementia. As a result, they risk reinforcing a stereotype.

"Media imagery can influence how people with dementia perceive themselves and how their family and friends relate to them, as well as what kind of decisions society makes regarding their care and services," Nurmi says.

"Images shape people's perceptions and especially first impressions even more than words. Imagery that portrays dementia almost exclusively through the lens of old age, dependency and loss, often using reductionist visual metaphors, can fuel discriminatory attitudes and contribute to the stigma felt by those living with dementia," Nurmi adds.

The study highlights the need to reform the visual representation of dementia in the media. According to the researchers, a more diverse and realistic visual representation, featuring people of different ages and backgrounds, everyday situations and meaningful relationships, could help reduce stigma, support the inclusion of people living with dementia and foster a better understanding of the complexity of dementia.

This study by the University of Eastern Finland is the first comprehensive and systematic analysis of how dementia is visually portrayed in Finnish newspapers. The findings are also internationally relevant, as they show that stigma can persist even in welfare states with advanced healthcare systems.