Abstract
Purpose: to examine the relationship between religiosity, social support, trauma, quality of life and experienced stigma of mental illness amongst a population diagnosed with mental ill-health. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of day service users in Northern Ireland (n = 295) covering a range of issues including religiosity, social support, quality of life and prior experience of trauma. Stigma was measured using a recognised stigma scale. We used multinomial logistic regression to examine risk factors associated with experienced stigma. Results: Univariate analysis showed significant associations between stigma and age, number of friends, social support, quality of life and prior experience of trauma. Age, quality of life, and trauma remained independently associated with stigma in a multivariate logistic regression model (x2(12) = 98.40, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Younger people, those with less social support, prior experience of trauma and with poorer quality of life are at increased risk of experiencing stigma related to their diagnosis of mental illness. The findings provide further understanding of stigma and are useful for those overseeing programmes to improve access to mental health treatment.
Highlights
Stigma and discrimination pose significant problems for people diagnosed with mental illness and may lead to real-life disadvantages, including poor access to mental and physicalPsychiatric Quarterly (2021) 92:633–643 healthcare [1, 2], problems gaining or maintaining employment [3], difficulty accessing accommodation [4] and reduced life-expectancy [5, 6]
Purpose: to examine the relationship between religiosity, social support, trauma, quality of life and experienced stigma of mental illness amongst a population diagnosed with mental ill-health
This study examines the relationship between religiosity, social support, trauma, quality of life and experienced stigma of mental illness amongst a population diagnosed with mental illhealth who attend a day centre in Northern Ireland
Summary
Stigma and discrimination pose significant problems for people diagnosed with mental illness and may lead to real-life disadvantages, including poor access to mental and physicalPsychiatric Quarterly (2021) 92:633–643 healthcare [1, 2], problems gaining or maintaining employment [3], difficulty accessing accommodation [4] and reduced life-expectancy [5, 6]. Stigma and discrimination pose significant problems for people diagnosed with mental illness and may lead to real-life disadvantages, including poor access to mental and physical. Mental illness may impact negatively on stigmatised individuals by inducing self-stigma, self-judgement and reinforcement of negative stereotypes [7]. These can trigger low self-esteem [8], a why-try effect and loss of confidence when pursuing personal goals [5]. Some evidence suggests a mediating role for social support, with increased peer support helping to challenge internalised stigma related to mental illness [19]. Other studies have found increased social support may be associated with a greater perception of stigma [22]
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