Reconstructing Identity After Psychiatric Rehabilitation: A Phenomenological Study of Psychosocial Recovery Among...

Psychiatric rehabilitation supports recovery and community reintegration among individuals with schizophrenia, but persistent stigma, impaired social functioning, and disrupted self-identity can hinder psychosocial recovery after rehabilitation, particularly within collectivist socio-cultural environments. This study explored the lived experiences of psychosocial recovery among individuals with schizophrenia following psychiatric rehabilitation in Indonesia. A Husserlian descriptive phenomenological design was used. Twenty individuals with schizophrenia who had completed psychiatric rehabilitation and lived in the community for at least 6 months participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Participants were recruited purposively from an outpatient psychiatric clinic in Indonesia, and data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. Four interconnected themes emerged: stigma and disrupted social identity; rebuilding the self through adaptive coping and behavioral regulation; relational recovery through family and community acceptance; and reconstructing meaning and future orientation. Psychosocial recovery was experienced as a dynamic and nonlinear process shaped by stigma, emotional regulation, family support, spirituality, social acceptance, and future aspirations. Mental health nurses should strengthen culturally responsive, family-centered, and community-based interventions that support identity reconstruction, social participation, and long-term psychosocial recovery.