Relationships between perceived stigma, coping orientations, self-esteem, and quality of life in patients with schizophrenia.

Stigmatization of mental disorders has detrimental consequences for psychiatric patients. This study examined how perceived stigma and coping orientations of secrecy, withdrawal, and education were related to schizophrenic patients' self-esteem and quality of life (QOL). Coping orientations as mediators of perceived stigma on the outcome variables were also investigated. A total of 80 schizophrenic patients in Singapore participated in the study. Results show that perceived stigma predicted self-esteem over and above gender and depression, perceived stigma and education predicted QOL over and above depression, and education partially mediated the effect of perceived stigma on QOL. Findings indicate that stigma perceptions and education coping are important focus areas in clinical interventions.