Stigma, trauma and sexuality

The Experiences of Women Hospitalised With Serious Mental Illness

Dados Bibliográficos

ID2249666
AutoresE C Frieh (0000-0001-5742-1971, Department of Sociology Indiana University Bloomington IN USA, autor correspondente)
Ano2020
Volume42
Fascículo3
Páginas526-543
Data de publicação2020-03-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSociology of Health & Illness (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0141-9889 • E-ISSN: 1467-9566
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1467-9566.13034
PMID31758579
OpenAlexW2989933370
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas52

Women with serious mental illness (SMI) occupy a social position in which their experiences are simultaneously influenced by stigmatisation, institutionalisation and gendered dimensions of trauma and power. Women with SMI are stigmatised in society, pushed to the margins and left vulnerable to victimisation and rejection, particularly if hospitalised in psychiatric institutions. Using modified labelling theory, I investigate how women hospitalised with SMI, especially those who have histories of sexual abuse and trauma, experience sexuality and perceive men and masculinity. I extend modified labelling theory by empirically analysing the role of social status and power in the labelling process. Specifically, I focus on gender, and analyse interviews with 55 women in US psychiatric hospitals, focusing on gendered experiences of trauma, stigma and attitudes about sexuality. I show how trauma increases the salience of stigma and potential for retraumatisation, both of which are amplified by the institutional setting. I find meaningful differences in the narratives of women who have experienced trauma and those who have not. Modified labelling theory helps explain how labelling can perpetuate self-stigma, which threatens women's self-esteem, safety and trust in others. The intersection of these experiences extends modified labelling theory and may have profound implications for recovery

Human sexuality · Institutionalisation · Masculinity · Medical emergency · Mental health · Mental illness · Narrative · Poison control · Psychiatry · Sociology · Stigma (botany) · Suicide prevention · Victimisation · Child Abuse and Trauma · Clinical Psychology · Gender Studies · Homelessness and Social Issues · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Social Psychology