Internalized stigma and its correlates among justice-involved individuals with mental illness

Abstract

In the United States, the number of justice-involved individuals living with mental illnesses is large and growing; however, there is little information about internalized stigma experienced by this population. To address this gap, we assessed internalized stigma and its relationship with symptomatology and demographic and clinical characteristics among 108 probationers with severe mental illnesses. More than third of the sample reported high levels of internalized stigma, and more than half of the sample reported high scores on alienation and social withdrawal subscales. There was a positive and significant correlation between symptomatology and internalized stigma. Interventions to address internalized stigma among justice-involved people with mental illnesses are needed.

Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in the Criminal/Legal System: Knowledge, Beliefs, and Attitudes Among Rural Community-Based Stakeholders

“…In this study, generalizing language (e.g., “If you give addicts a medication…” “If you give an alcoholic 90 beers” ) suggest that stakeholders working toward the support of people with SUD continue to harbor stereotypes of the “nature” of individuals living with a SUD that can produce and reproduce barriers to care. These attitudes are concerning, as the multiple forms of stigma experienced by people who use opioids, may be compounded by their criminal/legal involvement (Tomar et al, 2020), and are a crucial hindrance to addressing the ongoing crisis of overdose death in the US (Tsai et al, 2019).…”