Efficacy of a combined intervention program for the reduction of internalized stigma in people with severe mental illness

Background Internalized stigma (IS) is a key factor in the recovery, quality of life and functioning of people with severe mental illness (SMI), and effective intervention programs are needed to reduce IS in all its dimensions. The aim of this report was to design and evaluate the effectiveness of a...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: González Domínguez, Sara, González Sanguino, Clara, Muñoz López, Manuel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/94050
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/94050
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Stigma
Internalized stigma
Severe mental illness
Group intervention
Psicología (Psicología)
61 Psicología
Descripción
Sumario:Background Internalized stigma (IS) is a key factor in the recovery, quality of life and functioning of people with severe mental illness (SMI), and effective intervention programs are needed to reduce IS in all its dimensions. The aim of this report was to design and evaluate the effectiveness of a new psychological intervention group program for the reduction of IS in people with SMI. Methods A 9-session hands-on intervention program was designed with a group format in which different therapeutic techniques were combined. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, 80 people with SMI and high levels of IS were selected and randomly assigned to one of two groups: program (n = 41, experimental group) or conventional treatment (n = 39, control group). Results Mixed analysis of variance showed improvements in total IS and all of its dimensions (cognitive, emotional and behavioral) (p ≤ 0.01) and in depressive symptomatology (p = 0.01) in the experimental group after the treatment phase. Conclusion The results indicate that the program effectively reduces IS and its dimensions as well as other relevant associated variables in a sample of people with SMI.