BACKGROUND Research on stigma often focuses on general public attitudes and overlooks patients' subjective experiences of everyday stigma arising from significant others. AIMS To document and compare the interpersonal experiences of stigma in patients with schizophrenia and patients with diabetes mellitus in Hong Kong. METHOD Four focus groups were conducted to generate a self-report questi...

BACKGROUND Facing frequent stigma and discrimination, many people with mental illness have to choose between secrecy and disclosure in different settings. Coming Out Proud (COP), a 3-week peer-led group intervention, offers support in this domain in order to reduce stigma's negative impact. AIMS To examine COP's efficacy to reduce negative stigma-related outcomes and to promote adaptive copin...

Stigmatization represents a chronic negative interaction with the environment that most people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia face on a regular basis. Different types of stigma-public stigma, self--stigma, and label avoidance--may each have detrimental effects. In the present article, the possible consequences of stigma on onset, course, and outcome of schizophrenia are reviewed. Stigmatizat...

This chapter addresses the psychological effects of social stigma. Stigma directly affects the stigmatized via mechanisms of discrimination, expectancy confirmation, and automatic stereotype activation, and indirectly via threats to personal and social identity. We review and organize recent theory and empirical research within an identity threat model of stigma. This model posits that situatio...

COMPARISON OF STIGMA TOWARDS DEPRESSIVE PERSONS AND SELF-STIGMA IN STUDENTS HELPING NONHELPING PROFESSIONS The aim of the research was to examine differences in attitudes towards depressive persons and levels self-stigma students medical (nursing medicine; N=101) non-medical (social work psychology; N=98) helping professions non-helping (education, speech pathology social pedagogy; N=109). cova...

BACKGROUND Internalized weight stigma has gained growing interest due to its association with multiple health impairments in individuals with obesity. Especially high internalized weight stigma is reported by individuals undergoing bariatric surgery. For assessing this concept, two different self-report questionnaires are available, but have never been compared: the Weight Self-Stigma Questionn...

Approximately 60% of military personnel who experience mental health problems do not seek help, yet many of them could benefit from professional treatment. Across military studies, one of the most frequently reported barriers to help-seeking for mental health problems is concerns about stigma. It is, however, less clear how stigma influences mental health service utilization. This review will s...

ADVICE FROM SOCIAL REFERENTS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO INTERNALIZED STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS: A STUDY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESSES Brittany M. Lindon, Ph.D. George Mason University, 2011 Dissertation Director: Dr. Linda D. Chrosniak Research has demonstrated that people with mental illnesses internalize negative public stereotypes about mental illness and anticipate stigma...

This paper presents salient findings from an evaluation of a programme designed to address the issue of leprosy related stigma in Southern Nepal. The programme under the acronym STEP (Stigma Elimination Programme) adopted an approach that was dependent on the empowerment of people affected by leprosy. Empowerment was facilitated, primarily through selfcare group association. The premise was tha...

OBJECTIVE This study examined the relationship between internalization of negative weight-based stereotypes and indices of eating behaviors and emotional well-being in a sample of overweight and obese women. RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURES The sample was comprised of 1013 women who belonged to a national, non-profit weight loss organization. Participants completed an on-line battery of self-re...