Open Access, Peer-reviewed
eISSN 2093-758X
    J Korean Acad Nurs. 2012 Apr;42(2):226-235. Korean.
    Published online Apr 30, 2012.
    https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2012.42.2.226
    © 2012 Korean Society of Nursing Science
    Original Article

    The Lived Experience of Stigma among Mentally Ill Persons

    Myung Sun Hyun,1 Young Hee Kim,2 Hee Sun Kang,3 and Kyoung A Nam4
      • 1Professor, College of Nursing, Ajou University, Suwon, Korea.
      • 2Team Leader, EUM Hospital, Yongin, Korea.
      • 3Associate Professor, Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.
      • 4Associate Professor, Division of Nursing, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea.
    • Address reprint requests to: Nam, Kyoung A. Division of Nursing, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdaehak-gil, Chuncheon Gangwon-do, 200-702, The Republic of Korea. Tel: +82-33-248-2717, Fax: +82-33-248-2734, Email: namka@hallym.ac.kr
    Received February 22, 2011; Accepted April 26, 2012.

    Abstract

    Purpose

    The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experiences of stigma among mentally ill persons.

    Methods

    Phenomenological methodology was used for the study. Participants were twelve people with mental illness enrolled at the S community mental health center in GyeongGi-Do. Data were collected via in-depth interviews from August 30 to October 1, 2010 and analyzed using Colaizzi's framework.

    Results

    Four themes and sixteen formulated meanings were identified for the stigma experiences of participants with mental illness. The four themes were 'Incapable of struggling against unfair treatment', 'Living as an outsider', 'Being constrained by oneself', 'Being in suspense over disclosure of oneself'.

    Conclusion

    The results from this study underscore the need for an educational and awareness programs to reduce public stigma among the general population and self-stigma among people with mental illness. In addition, efforts are also needed to prioritize mental illness stigma as a major public health issue at the government and community level.

    Keywords
    Mentally ill person; Stigmatization; Life experiences; Qualitative research

    Tables

    Table 1
    Formulated Meanings and Themes

    Notes

    This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology(2010-0006812).

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    MeSH Terms
    Social Stigma*
    Adult
    Female
    Hospitals, Psychiatric
    Humans
    Interviews as Topic
    Life Change Events
    Male
    Mentally Ill Persons/psychology*
    Middle Aged
    Qualitative Research
    Metrics
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