Insight into mental illness and self-stigma: The mediating role of shame proneness

Insight into mental illness and self-stigma among persons with serious mental illness (SMI) have been found to be related, but the process behind this relation is still unclear. The current study examined whether shame and guilt proneness mediates or moderates the relation between insight into mental illness and self-stigma among persons with SMI. Sixty persons with SMI completed questionnaires that assessed their insight, shame, guilt proneness, and self-stigma. Results reveal that shame proneness but not guilt proneness mediates the relation between insight and self-stigma. The theoretical and clinical implications of the differences between shame and guilt and their relation to the development of self-stigma are discussed.