Considering Stigma in Family Caregivers of Patients with Psychiatric Disorders in Farshchian Hospital, Hamadan, Iran

Undoubtedly, the most common and the most important issue for those taking care of patients with psychiatric disorders is the stigma. This study aimed to investigate the stigma of family caregivers of Patients with psychiatric disorders in Farshchian hospital, Hamadan City, Iran.
In this cross-sectional study, 43 family members of patients with mental disorders in a psychiatric hospital care in Hamadan City were selected through convenience sampling in the year 2016. A 30-item researcher-made 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was conducted in this study. The validity, content validity, and reliability of questionnaire were assessed through calculating internal correlation. The internal consistency was equal to α = 0.94. Data analysis was carried out through descriptive statistics using SPSS software.
Findings: 26 caregivers (60.5%) were women and 17 (39.5%) were men. The mean and standard deviation scores of stigma (12.23 ± 82.47) showed that family caregivers suffered from the stigma of living with a mental illness such as singleness, unemployment, embarrassment, humiliation by others, disgrace, and shame.
The lack of public awareness about mental disorders and diagnosis, and the lack of effective interventions could result in stigma. Increasing knowledge about mental disorders and the role of these factors in creating stigma seems important. Obviously, understanding and developing efficient and effective processes such as community awareness and education may reduce caregivers’ stigma in caring to patients with mental disorders.