<p>Quality of life, self-stigma, and coping strategies in patients with neurotic spectrum disorders: a cross-sectional study</p>

Abstract

BackgroundModern psychiatry focuses on self-stigma, coping strategies, and quality of life (QoL). This study looked at relationships among severity of symptoms, self-stigma, demographics, coping strategies, and QoL in patients with neurotic spectrum disorders.MethodsA total of 153 clinically stable participants who met criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, mixed anxiety–depressive disorder, adjustment disorders, somatoform disorders, or obsessive–compulsive disorder were included in a cross-sectional study. Psychiatrists examined patients during regular psychiatric checkups. Patients completed the Quality of Life Satisfaction and Enjoyment Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q), Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMI), a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Stress Coping Style Questionnaire (Strategie Zvládání Stresu [SVF] 78), and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale.ResultsThe diagnostic subgroups differed significantly in age and use of negative coping strategies, but not in other measured clinical or psychological variables. The findings showed that neither sex nor partnership played a role in perceived QoL. All Q-LES-Q domains correlated negatively with all ISMI domains, except school/study. Unemployed and employed groups of patients differed in QoL. Each of the coping strategies, except the need for social support, was related to self-stigma. The findings showed that sex, partnership, education, and employment played no role in self-stigma. No differences between sexes in positive coping strategies, severity of disorder, self-stigma, or QoL were found. QoL correlated significantly with all coping strategies, except for guilt denial. Multiple regression showed the most important factors to be positive coping, employment, and overall self-stigma rating, explaining 32.9% of QoL. Mediation analysis showed self-stigma level and negative coping strategies to be the most influential. The most substantial factors associated with self-stigma, as indicated by regression analysis, were Q-LES-Q total, subjective CGI, and positive coping strategies, which clarified 44.5% of the ISMI.ConclusionThe study confirmed associations among self-stigma, quality of life, disorder severity, and coping strategies of outpatients with neurotic spectrum disorders.

Cross-sectional study of internalised stigma and medication adherence in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder

“…The most important finding of the present study is that the internalised stigma had a significant negative correlation with the current medication adherence, which confirms our research hypothesis. This finding is consistent with several other studies 2 26–28 31. So, it could be said that internalised stigma is an important factor which affects medication adherence in patients with OCD.…”

“…Our study also showed that the current severity of OCD symptoms was significantly negatively correlated with medication adherence, possibly suggesting that medication non-compliance is linked to increased severity of disorder, although direction of causality is difficult to establish from the available data. The findings are consistent with other studies showing negative correlation between severity of disorder and medication adherence 2 27 28…”

“…The findings vary across different studies. A study by Ociskova et al found a higher score in alienation (15.58 (4.33)), a finding similar to our study,27 while another study showed higher scores in stigma resistance domain 28. Hajda et al have found higher scores in subscales of stereotype endorsement as well as stigma resistance 29.…”

“…Holubova et al reported severity of disorder as one of the most influencing factors for self-stigma 28. Our study also found a significant positive correlation between current severity of OCD symptoms and internalised stigma.…”

“…Another study on patients with mixed neurotic spectrum and depressive disorders revealed a mean ISMI score of 66.78 (13.71) 27. Other studies also showed similar results 2 22 28. This underlines that self-stigma is a matter of concern for those suffering from severe mental illnesses and to those with OCD.…”