The impact of stigma on subjective well-being in people with mental disorders.

Abstract

People diagnosed with a mental disorder are highly discriminated against, and when they internalize the social stigma they suffer severe consequences which have been associated with greater symptomatology and reduced recovery. This research was carried out in order to develop a predictive model about how discrimination contributes to subjective well-being (positive and negative affects experienced) by means of internalization of stigma (alienation, stereotype endorsement and social withdrawal) and deterioration of positive self-concept (self-esteem and self-efficacy). We conducted a cross-sectional research design. We used Partial Least Squares (PLS) modelling to analyze the data from 94 Spanish participants diagnosed with a mental disorder. A differential effect of blatant and subtle discrimination is found. Both internalized stigma and positive self-concept play a central role in the effects of discrimination on subjective well-being. Internalized stigma contributes to the explained variance of negative and positive affect, while positive self-concept contributes mainly to explain changes in positive affect. Positive self-concept protects the person from the harm that stigma may cause on his well-being. It especially protects positive affect, which we propose is an important resource in the recovery process. These findings have clinical and research implications.