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. 2012 Oct;8(4):305-314.
doi: 10.1080/15504263.2012.723311. Epub 2012 Sep 10.

Predictors of Self-Stigma in Schizophrenia: New Insights Using Mobile Technologies

Dror Ben-Zeev  1 , Rochelle Frounfelker, Scott B Morris, Patrick W Corrigan
Affiliations

Predictors of Self-Stigma in Schizophrenia: New Insights Using Mobile Technologies

Dror Ben-Zeev et al. J Dual Diagn. 2012 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: Self-stigma has significant negative impact on the recovery of individuals with severe mental illness, but its varying course is not well understood. Individual levels of self-stigma may vary over time and fluctuate in response to both external/contextual (i.e., location, activity, social company) and internal (i.e., psychiatric symptoms, mood) factors. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between self-stigmatizing beliefs and these factors, as they occur in the daily life of individuals with schizophrenia.

Methods: Mobile technologies were used to longitudinally track momentary levels of self-stigma, psychotic symptoms, negative affect, positive affect, activity, and immediate social and physical environment in twenty-four individuals with schizophrenia, multiple times daily, over a one-week period.

Results: Multilevel modeling showed that participants' current activity was associated with changes in self-stigma (χ2= 10.53, p <0.05), but immediate location and social company were not. Time-lagged analyses found that increases in negative affect (β=0.11, p<0.01) and psychotic symptom severity (β=0.16, p<0.01) predicted increases in the intensity of self-stigmatizing beliefs. Psychotic symptoms were found to be both an antecedent and a consequence (β=0.08, p<0.01) of increased self-stigma.

Conclusions: Our findings support a framework for understanding self-stigma as an experience that changes based on alterations in internal states and external circumstances. Mobile technologies are an effective methodology to study self-stigma and have potential to be used to deliver clinical interventions.

Keywords: ecological momentary assessment (EMA); mHealth; mobile technologies; schizophrenia; stigma.

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Conflict of interest statement

DISCLOSURES

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Change in Self-Stigma from previous time period as a function of type of activity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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