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Ward features affecting stigma experiences in contemporary psychiatric hospitals: a multilevel study
1Dept. of Sociology, Ghent University, Korte Meer 5, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. mieke.verhaeghe@ugent.be
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
|February 12, 2008
Summary
Treatment context significantly impacts mental health stigma. Individualized care and positive group atmosphere reduce self-rejection, while larger wards increase it, offering insights for mental health services.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry and Mental Health Services Research
- Social Psychology of Stigma
Background:
- Stigmatization negatively affects individuals receiving mental health care.
- Factors influencing these stigma experiences, particularly the treatment context, are under-researched.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the link between treatment context characteristics and stigma experiences.
- To control for client characteristics in multilevel analysis.
Main Methods:
- Multilevel design using data from 366 clients across 42 psychiatric hospital wards.
- Investigated relationships between individualized treatment, group atmosphere, ward size, and self-rejection.
Main Results:
- Significant inter-ward differences in self-rejection were observed.
- Individualized treatment correlated with less self-rejection, contingent on maintaining a positive group atmosphere.
- A positive group atmosphere was associated with reduced self-rejection.
- Larger ward size was linked to increased self-rejection.
Conclusions:
- Ward characteristics significantly influence client stigma experiences.
- Findings integrate stigma research with mental health services research.
- Highlights modifiable factors within the immediate treatment environment to reduce mental health stigma.
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