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The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research
Published in: The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research 2/2007

01-04-2007 | Regular Article

Stigmatization in Different Mental Health Services: A Comparison of Psychiatric and General Hospitals

Authors: Mieke Verhaeghe, MA, Piet Bracke, PhD, Kevin Bruynooghe, MA

Published in: The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research | Issue 2/2007

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Abstract

The earliest studies about stigmatization of persons receiving professional mental health care date from the time when psychiatric hospitals constituted the predominant facilities. The landscape of care has changed enormously since. Current research reveals that stigmatization still exists and has detrimental outcomes, not only for clients of psychiatric hospitals, but also for clients of so-called alternative settings. Studies that explicitly compare stigma experiences between different organizations are very scarce, however. This article compares clients from psychiatric and general hospitals according to three dimensions of stigmatization, using data from structured questionnaires (n = 555). The results reveal that when background characteristics are taken into account clients of psychiatric wards of general hospitals report less stigma expectations and social rejection experiences in comparison with their counterparts in psychiatric hospitals. Concerning self-rejection, no differences are found. These results suggest that more attention should be paid to specific characteristics of mental health services themselves in discussions about stigmatization and destigmatization of mental health care.
Footnotes
1
At first sight this seems to be a rather unusual measurement unit, as length of stay is more often measured in terms of weeks or days. However, the most recent available data (Minimal Psychiatric Data 1998) on the length of stay in Belgian psychiatric hospitals at a moment revealed that 60% of their clients reside more than half a year (in our sample 55%). A recent European international comparison revealed that Belgium still has most number of long-stay patients within specialized psychiatric services.52
 
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Metadata
Title
Stigmatization in Different Mental Health Services: A Comparison of Psychiatric and General Hospitals
Authors
Mieke Verhaeghe, MA
Piet Bracke, PhD
Kevin Bruynooghe, MA
Publication date
01-04-2007
Published in
The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research / Issue 2/2007
Print ISSN: 1094-3412
Electronic ISSN: 2168-6793
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-007-9056-4

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