Comparison of Internalized Stigma Level Among Patients Attending a Public Versus Private Psychiatric Institution

Abstract

Objectives: This research was undertaken to examine the variables affecting the level of internalized stigmatization and institutional differences by comparing the cases consulting a public versus a private psychiatric institution. Methods: The Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMIS) was applied to 100 patients who applied to Bakirkoy Mental Hospital (a public psychiatric institution) who were considered to be affected by the stigmatization effect and to 100 other patients who applied to Balikli Rum Hospital Psychiatric Unit (a private psychiatric institution). These two groups were compared regarding their level of internalized stigma to determine if the stigmatization level differs according to the type of institution to which they apply. Results: The average age of the patients who applied to the public psychiatric institution was 34 (Ss=10) and that of the patients who applied to the private psychiatric institution was 32 (Ss=8); there were statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding their education level, economic level, diagnosis, disease duration, and the number of hospitalizations (p<0.05). These findings showed that there are differences in terms of patient characteristics between the two institutions. When the ISMIS scores of the two patient groups were compared, a statistically significant difference was found in terms of "social regression sub-scale" (p<0.05), but no other statistically significant differences were found in the other sub-scales. As a result, we found statistically significant differences between the two institutions in terms of patient characteristics, but no statistically significant difference was found with respect to the internalized stigma levels of the patient groups attending these two institutions. Duration of illness, number of hospitalizations and level of education are among the variables affecting the level of internalized stigma. A high level of correlation in the same direction was found between total score in ISMIS and duration of illness (r=0.73) and number of hospitalizations (r=0.53). Similar findings and studies can be found in the literature. Conclusion: There were differences between the patient populations attending the two institutions, but there appeared to be no statistically significant differences in terms of the level of internalized stigmatization, except with respect to the social regression sub-scale. It was determined that duration of illness, number of hospitalizations and level of education are the variables affecting the level of internalized stigmatization.