Socio-demographic correlates of stigma attached to mental illness

Moin Ahmed Ansari, R. U.R. Raza-Ur-Rahman, Aftab Ahmed Siddiqui, Rakhshinda Jabeen, Naveed Rashid Qureshi, Aftab Ahmed Sheikh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To identify socio-demographic correlates of stigma attached to psychiatric illnesses. METHOD: This is a retrospective study. Data of the patients who had attended psychiatry department; either as a referral or direct consultation; and as in-patient or outpatient; at Isra University Hospital at Hyderabad during the years 2001 to 2004, were reviewed and presence or absence of stigma feelings were compared to their socio-demographic backgrounds. Demographic characteristics of a total of 1208 patients with different psychiatric illnesses were recorded. Data obtained, was subjected to analysis using SPSS 13th version. RESULTS: Feelings of stigma was present in forty seven percent of the studied population. Males had slightly more feelings of stigma. People from urban areas were also carrying more feelings of stigma but it was statistically insignificant. Apart from people with no formal education who had maximum stigma feelings; education level was found to increase such feelings, in the population studied. CONCLUSION: In our studied population, feeling of stigma seems to prevail in every demographic class; this is specially so among neurotics, male gender, urban patients. Level of education has interesting relation with the feeling of Stigma, which is found to increase with level of education.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)199-203
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences
Volume7
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2008
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Mental Illness
  • Socio-demographic
  • Stigma

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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