Internalized stigma and its correlates in families of persons with mental illness in Qatar

A cross-sectional study

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21628512
AutoresVahe Kehyayan (0000-0002-2462-7399, Qatar Science and Technology Park), Hanin Omar (0000-0003-3508-0947, University of Calgary in Qatar), Suhaila Ghuloum (0000-0002-1384-4179, Hamad Medical Corporation), Tamara Marji (0000-0002-1745-969X, Primary Health Care), Hassen Al-Amin (0000-0001-6358-1541, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar), Muna Abed Alah (0000-0003-3091-9483, Primary Health Care, autor de correspondencia), Ziyad Mahfoud (0000-0003-4098-6401, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar)
Año2024
Volumen43
Número39
Páginas30937-30948
Fecha de publicación2024-10-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaCurrent Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1046-1310 • E-ISSN: 1936-4733
EditorialSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s12144-024-06686-y
OpenAlexW4402807745
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas48

Persons with mental illness (PWMI) experience rejection, isolation, and discrimination in employment, education, and housing due to the prejudice associated with the illness. Families affiliated with PWMI often internalize the public’s prejudice towards mental illness. Such internalized stigma can further impact the health and quality of life of both PWMI and their families. This study aimed to examine the level and correlates of internalized stigma in family members of PWMI in Qatar. A cross-sectional study of 106 family members was conducted using the Family Internalized Stigma Mental Illness Scale. The mean stigma score was 2.04 suggesting a mild level of stigma overall. Being married was found to be a predictor of higher levels of internalized stigma, while having college education or higher predicted lower levels of stigma. The overall stigma scores among family members were not high, which may reflect the protective stance families take towards about their relatives with mental illness. Some sociodemographic attributes predicted trends in internalized stigma among our surveyed sample. Future research efforts in this area may help increase understanding of internalized stigma in this population to inform stigma reduction efforts

Cross-sectional study · Developmental psychology · Mental health · Mental illness · Psychiatry · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Family Caregiving in Mental Illness · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology