Relationships between stereotyped beliefs about mental illness, discrimination experiences, and distressed mood over 1 year among persons with schizophrenia enrolled in rehabilitation

Purpose: Research suggests stereotype endorsement or self-stigma serves as a barrier to functioning and wellbeing among persons with schizophrenia. Little is known about how stable self-stigma is and whether it is linked over time with related constructs such as discrimination experiences and psychological distress. Methods: Stereotype endorsement and discrimination experiences were assessed using the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale and psychological distress was assessed using the Emotional Discomfort component of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, at three points in time across 1 year. Results: Path analyses indicated that the constructs of stereotype endorsement and discrimination experiences are stable over periods of 5-7 months and may fluctuate over 12 months. Further, the constructs of stereotype endorsement and discrimination experiences were related to one another concurrently, but analyses failed to detect a relationship over time. Neither construct was related to psychological distress over time. Conclusions: Self-stigma is a stable construct in the short term, and is distinct from related constructs such as discrimination experiences and psychological distress.