Article Title: Stigmatization: Addressing Self-Esteem and Personal Growth in Patients with Psychological and Physiological Illness
Author(s): Sarwat Sultan
Institute/University: Department of Applied Psychology, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan
Journal: Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS) Vol. 31, No. 1 (June 2011), pp. 29-36
Abstract
This paper reviews comparison of the impact of perceived stigma on self-esteem and personal growth of patients who are diagnosed with psychological and physiological illness. The sample consisted of 188 out-door patients; 100 psychiatric patients of depression and 88 physical patients of diabetes taken from Khawaja Fareed Hospital and Ashraf Naseer Hospital in Multan respectively. Perceived Devaluation–Discrimination Scale, Index of Self-Esteem, and Personal Growth Initiative Scale were used to collect information. Results indicated the significant differences in measured variables. The findings showed that psychiatric patients perceive higher stigma and report lower degree of self-esteem and personal growth than diabetic patients. Results further indicated that perceived stigma is negatively associated with self-esteem and personal growth, and this relationship is higher for psychiatric patients than diabetic patients.
Keywords: Stigma; Mental Illness; Physical Illness; Self-Esteem; Personal Growth
