Nowadays we are facing many challenges in the field of health. The increase in numbers of chronic diseases is particularly alarming as it has a great impact on the quality of life of the general population. As a result, there has been an increased interest in the portrayal of such diseases in the modern media. Modern media, on the other hand, can be prone to the creation of content that ensures greater profit. Therefore, it presents information in a way that attracts viewers.
Since there is lack of research in the field of portraying people with a long-term illness in modern media, we focused our research on this topic in our master's thesis. By means of research, we aimed to identify the most common stereotypes that appear in a sample of selected contemporary media and determine the presentation of the impact of the disease on the quality of life of the main character, who suffers from a chronic illness. We included two television series and twelve films in the sample, which were released in the last fifteen years and depict various long-term illnesses in young and adult people. Data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The instrument used included a list that was created with the help of literature, certain key points were developed independently, and we also provided our own set of criteria.
With the help of the conducted research, we gained a good insight into the discrepancy between the real and cinematic portrayal of the chronically ill. We found that the typical symptom of the disease is often displayed very dramatically. Even though a large part of the modern media highlights the possibilities of treating the disease, we notice that many films still portray long-term illness as a death sentence, especially in the case of cancer. With the help of the results, we find that films and TV series promote stigmatization with their messages. The chronically ill are still presented in certain stereotypical roles, most often as an inspiration, an object of pity or a burden. Almost two-thirds of the selected contemporary media contain several characteristics of problematic "sick-flick" scenarios (e.g., linking illness with love themes, dramatic or tragic portrayal of love, avoiding depiction of gender and racial diversity, etc.). On the other hand, certain films break down stereotypes, address pressing topics and raise important questions (e.g., the issue of American health insurance), which we found by analyzing all four dimensions of the main character's quality of life. We also found that Articles 17 and 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities were most often violated during the cinematic portrayal of treatment. By doing so, modern media emphasizes that education, which also includes the holistic development of the individual, is often put on the sidelines in case of poor health. Also, some films and TV series present that medical staff assume a great deal of control over the patient, which can affect his autonomous decision-making.
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