"Does being in here mean there is something wrong with me"?

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Sociology
• Psychology

Background:

• Existing literature on psychiatric hospitalization's effect on self-image primarily focuses on institutional perspectives.
• The patient's subjective experience and role in this transformative process remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the patient's perspective on how psychiatric hospitals influence self-image.
• To identify key variables and developmental stages in the patient's adoption of the 'patient role'.

Main Methods:

• Employed a mixed-methods approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative data.
• Analyzed patient experiences to understand the process of self-image alteration within psychiatric settings.

Main Results:

• Frequency and duration of psychiatric hospitalization, alongside a history of hallucinations, significantly predict patient role engulfment.
• Engulfment in the patient role is a developmental sequence marked by transitional events (e.g., hallucinations, income changes, readmissions).
• Patients navigate these stages by adapting beliefs and definitions to maintain a positive self-concept.

Conclusions:

• Patient role engulfment is a dynamic process influenced by exposure to psychiatric care and personal history.
• Transitional events act as catalysts, driving shifts in self-perception and role adoption.
• The underlying motivation appears to be the patient's need to preserve a sense of competence.