Too Close for Comfort: Stigma by Association in Family Members Who Live with Relatives with Mental Illness.

ABSTRACT: Stigma by association is described in qualitative research of family members who have relatives diagnosed with mental illness, depicting their sense of public shame for having these relationship ties. However, there have been relatively few empirical studies thus far, in part due to the isolation of family members affecting research recruitment. In order to address this gap, an online survey was administered to 124 family members, comparing those who live in the same home with their ill relative (n = 81) and those who do not (n = 43). A remarkable incidence of one in three family members reported experiencing stigma by association. Those living with an ill relative reported comparatively higher levels of stigma by association using an adapted questionnaire measure. Both group

SUBMITTER: Goldberg JO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10049681 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature