Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Rüsch, N. Articles by Corrigan, P. W. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Rüsch, N. Articles by Corrigan, P. W. Stigma, Discrimination Borderline Personality Disorders Phobic Disorders Related Article

Brief Reports: Self-Stigma, Empowerment, and Perceived Legitimacy of Discrimination Among Women With Mental Illness

OBJECTIVE: The study sought to better understand why some people with mental illness self-stigmatize and develop low self-esteem while others remain indifferent to stigma or respond with a sense of empowerment. The authors hypothesized that a high level of perceived discrimination, little sense of identification with the group of people with mental illness, and a high level of perceived legitimacy of discrimination lead to self-stigma. METHODS: Sixty women with borderline personality disorder and 30 women with social phobia, who were recruited at three centers in Germany and Switzerland, completed stigma-related questionnaires. RESULTS: After depression and index diagnosis were controlled for, a low level of perceived discrimination and of the legitimacy of discrimination predicted high self-esteem and high empowerment. Identification with the group of people with mental illness did not predict self-esteem or empowerment. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived legitimacy of discrimination may be a crucial determinant of a person's response to stigma.

Related Article:

March 2006: This Month's Highlights
Psychiatr Serv 2006 57: 299. [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. H. Canu, M. L. Newman, T. L. Morrow, and D. L. W. Pope Social Appraisal of Adult ADHD: Stigma and Influences of the Beholder's Big Five Personality Traits J Atten Disord, May 1, 2008; 11(6): 700 - 710. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Tal, D. Roe, and P. W. Corrigan Mental Illness Stigma in the Israeli Context: Deliberations and Suggestions International Journal of Social Psychiatry, November 1, 2007; 53(6): 547 - 563. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. King, S. Dinos, J. Shaw, R. Watson, S. Stevens, F. Passetti, S. Weich, and M. Serfaty The Stigma Scale: development of a standardised measure of the stigma of mental illness The British Journal of Psychiatry, March 1, 2007; 190(3): 248 - 254. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2006 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us