J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2024 Aug 23:1-10. doi: 10.3928/02793695-20240813-03. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate self-stigma among individuals with schizophrenia, identify potential categories of self-stigma, and analyze the association between self-stigma categories and dimensions of disease perception.

METHOD: Convenience sampling was used to select individuals with schizophrenia (N = 216) in psychiatric hospitals. A General Demographic Information Questionnaire, the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Inventory, and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire were used for data collection. A latent profile analysis was performed on self-stigma characteristics of participants, and potential categories of influencing factors and their relationship with illness perception were examined.

RESULTS: Participants were classified into three potential categories: low self-stigma-low resistance (19.4%), medium self-stigma (55.6%), and high self-stigma-high discrimination (25%). Compared with the low self-stigma-low resistance group, those with higher illness representation and illness understanding scores were more likely to be classified as medium self-stigma, and emotional representation was the strongest predictor for high self-stigma-high discrimination.

CONCLUSION: Self-stigma among participants was mostly medium to high. Self-stigma of individuals with schizophrenia demonstrates group heterogeneity; therefore, nurses should formulate targeted interventions based on the characteristics of each category to achieve precise interventions and reduce self-stigma. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(xx), xx-xx.].

PMID:39172889 | DOI:10.3928/02793695-20240813-03