BACKGROUND: An individual's capacity to counteract the stigma of mental illness, stigma resistance (SR), is considered as playing a crucial role in fighting stigma. However, little is known about SR and its correlates in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. AIM: Exploring SR in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. METHOD: One hundred fifty-seven participants completed the "Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness" (ISMI) Scale including its subscale on SR. Measures of perceived devaluation and discrimination, depression, self-esteem, empowerment, quality of life, and demographic and clinical variables were obtained. RESULTS: Two-thirds of all patients showed high SR. SR correlated positively with self-esteem, empowerment, and quality of life and negatively with stigma measures and depression. A social network with a sufficient number of friends, being single or married, in contrast to being separated, as well as receiving outpatient treatment, was associated with higher SR. CONCLUSIONS: SR is a new and promising concept. The development of stigma-resisting beliefs might help individuals in their hope of finding a fulfilling life and in their recovery from mental illness.
BACKGROUND: An individual's capacity to counteract the stigma of mental illness, stigma resistance (SR), is considered as playing a crucial role in fighting stigma. However, little is known about SR and its correlates in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. AIM: Exploring SR in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. METHOD: One hundred fifty-seven participants completed the "Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness" (ISMI) Scale including its subscale on SR. Measures of perceived devaluation and discrimination, depression, self-esteem, empowerment, quality of life, and demographic and clinical variables were obtained. RESULTS: Two-thirds of all patients showed high SR. SR correlated positively with self-esteem, empowerment, and quality of life and negatively with stigma measures and depression. A social network with a sufficient number of friends, being single or married, in contrast to being separated, as well as receiving outpatient treatment, was associated with higher SR. CONCLUSIONS: SR is a new and promising concept. The development of stigma-resisting beliefs might help individuals in their hope of finding a fulfilling life and in their recovery from mental illness.
Authors: Jeffrey A Lieberman; T Scott Stroup; Joseph P McEvoy; Marvin S Swartz; Robert A Rosenheck; Diana O Perkins; Richard S E Keefe; Sonia M Davis; Clarence E Davis; Barry D Lebowitz; Joanne Severe; John K Hsiao Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2005-09-19 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: Richard J Drake; Merete Nordentoft; Gillian Haddock; Celso Arango; W Wolfgang Fleischhacker; Birte Glenthøj; Marion Leboyer; Stefan Leucht; Markus Leweke; Phillip McGuire; Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg; Dan Rujescu; Iris E Sommer; René S Kahn; Shon W Lewis Journal: Schizophr Bull Date: 2015-03-05 Impact factor: 9.306