Affective, cognitive, and behavioral mental illness stigma in health care: A comparison between general ward nurses and the general population.

Abstract

Stigma from health professionals and the general population can be a barrier in health care for people with mental illness. The aim of this study was to compare experiences with and perceptions of people with mental illness between general ward nurses and the general population in the United Kingdom as well as to examine the associated mechanisms. Participants were general ward nurses (n = 101) and the general population (n = 116) in the United Kingdom who completed a survey for this cross-sectional study. Nurses reported poorer contact experiences with people with mental illness (less frequent positive contact, more frequent negative contact, lower contact quality, fewer friendships) than the general population. They also reported greater stigma (more negative attitudes, higher attribution of negative and lower attribution of positive human uniqueness traits to people with mental illness, greater differences between themselves and people with mental illness, lower behavioral intentions). Intergroup anxiety and intergroup empathy mediated the associations between group and contact quality, attitudes as well as behavioral intentions. Understanding differences in stigma between health professionals and the general population will be important to support people with mental illness in seeking treatment and receiving optimal physical and mental health care as well as to support health professionals in their roles.

Nurses’ Attitudes and Stigma about Mental Illness and Substance Abuse

“…Stigma and discrimination against the mentally ill are widespread even in a population that is expected to be enlightened. There is a need in to develop strategies to change the stigma attached to mental illness at both institutional and community levels [9], [35].…”

“…When talking about the stigma, there is a lack of knowledge about mental illnesses, both in the general population and among health professionals, where prejudices and negative attitudes, and discriminatory behaviors occur, which create a strong driver of social exclusion of people with mental illnesses and a violation of their rights and needs [8], [9]. Studies examining professionals' perceptions of mental illness have found overwhelmingly negative attitudes and approval of restrictive and discriminatory practices toward mentally ill people [10], [11].…”