Assessment of self-experience stigma and adopted coping abilities among chronic mentally ill patients

Stigma and the resulting discrimination exclude people with mental illness from activities that are open to other people. Distressing or disabling chronic mental illness challenges effective coping. This study looked to assess the self-experience stigma and adopted coping abilities. The Objectives are 1.To assess the self-experience stigma of chronic mentally ill patients.2.To assess the adopted coping abilities of chronic mentally ill patients. 3. To correlate self-experience stigma with adopted coping abilities 4.To associate the findings of self-experience stigma and adopted coping abilities of chronic mentally ill patients with selected demographic variables. The study based on quantitative non experimental design. 150 chronic mentally ill patients are selected by non-probability convenient sampling technique. Standard and modified rating scale are used by researcher in three section as demographic data, self-experience stigma scale by Stuart, Milev and Koller, 2005. .Rating scale is used to assess the adopted coping abilities adapted from the Lazarus “ways of coping” questionnaire. The findings show that,60% of patients had moderate level of self-experience stigma 22% of patients had mild level of self-experience stigma, and 18% of patients had severe level of stigma. Other findings of shows that 76% of patients are having maladaptive coping abilities and 24% of patients having adaptive coping abilities. There is a significant negative Correlation between self-experience stigma and adopted coping abilities among chronic mentally ill patient. The demographic variables gender, working status, type of family, type of residence and regularity in follow up were having association with self-experience stigma whereas education and type of family associate with adaptive coping ability in chronic mentally ill patients. This study conclude that stigma is existing in the society for psychiatric illness which can be resolved by awareness in primary level in society. Coping ability can be developed by regular follow up and therapeutic ways for patients.