Internalized Stigma and Associated Factors in Patients Applying to Psychiatry Outpatient Clinics, A Descriptive Study

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate internalized stigma and related factors in patients applying to psychiatry outpatient clinics. The descriptive-cross-sectional study was conducted with 187 patients. In the survey included in the study, socio-demographic data, data on previous clinical/disease and Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) Scale were used. It was determined that 16.6% of the patients were hospitalized due to mental illness and 10.7% of them were dismissed due to mental disorders. The total mean score of the participants in ISMI was found to be 56.2±11.3. The scale total score of the patients whose education level was university or higher was found to be lower than the other groups (p=0.012). The mean scores of the patients with children were significantly lower than those without children (p=0.012) and the patients living in the village compared to the patients living in the city center (p=0.002). The total ISMI score was found to be higher in patients who were previously hospitalized due to mental illness and patients who were dismissed due to mental disorders (p=0.016, p=0.006, respectively). It was determined that there was a positive and low-level significant relationship between disease duration and ISMI total score (r= 0.152; p= 0.038). Educational status, place of residence, hospitalization due to mental illness, dismissal status due to mental disorders and duration of illness were determined as variables affecting the level of internalized stigma in individuals with mental disorders.