Self-stigma in a Tunisian population of stabilized outpatients with schizophrenia

TL;DR

This study assesses self-stigma in Tunisian patients with schizophrenia and finds moderate levels of stigma consistent with global trends.

Contribution

The study provides new data on self-stigma in a Tunisian population of schizophrenia patients, contributing to global understanding of mental illness stigma.

Findings

The median ISMI score indicated absence of strong stigma, but 45.8% of patients reported high self-stigma.

Stigma levels were consistent with global research, suggesting that stigma is a universal issue regardless of origin or ethnicity.

Abstract

The internalized stigma associated with mental illness is considered as an additional burden faced by people with mental disease. Among mental illnesses, schizophrenia is considered as the most stigmatizing.

To Assess the level of stigma in a sample of people with schizophrenia

This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study carried out on 72 stabilized patients followed at the post-cure psychiatry consultation ‘A’ at the CHU Hedi Chaker in Sfax diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the DSM 5 criteria. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected using a pre-established sheet

We used The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale to assess internalized stigma

The mean age of the patients in our study was 46.83 ± 11.6 years, with a sex ratio (M/F) of 2.

They were single in 48.5%, unemployed in 69.4%. Their level of education did not exceed primary school in 44.4% and their socio-economic level was low in 63.9%. 2% of the patients had no somatic history and 36.1% had a history of attempted suicide.

The median for the total ISMI score was 2.45, which corresponded to the absence of strong stigma. The median of the subscales was distributed as follows: 2 for the level of alienation, 2.28 for stereotype endorsement, 2.4 discrimination experience, 2.36 for social withdrawal and 2.60 for stigma resistance.

In our study, 45.8% of patients reported experiencing high levels of self-stigma (total score>2,5).

Our study found levels of self-stigma in individuals with schizophrenia that align with previous research, suggesting that schizophrenia-related stigma is a global phenomenon unaffected by factors such as origin or ethnicity.

None Declared