“That’s all Fake”: Health professionals stigma and physical healthcare of people living with Serious Mental Illness

Abstract

Background People living with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) die earlier than the general population due to preventable medical conditions. Latinos living with SMI are a particularly vulnerable population with higher prevalence of chronic medical conditions. Stigma has been identified as a factor that fosters health inequities for Latinos/as with SMI, particularly Puerto Ricans. Although personal and social consequences of stigmatization have been well documented, research regarding the role of cultural factors on healthcare interactions is scarce. Furthermore, little research has focused on addressing stigma from the perspective of healthcare professionals. Methods We investigated this process through a qualitative design using semi-structured individual interviews with 11 healthcare professionals (8 physicians and 3 nurses) in Puerto Rico. We conducted a thematic analysis to analyze the data. Results Following a thematic analysis, we found three main themes and nine sub-themes related to the stigmatization process. Some participants reported perceptions of dangerousness and uneasiness, social distance and inadequate care. Participants also emphasized a lack of medical training regarding SMI within the Puerto Rican context. Conclusions These findings support the need to develop culturally appropriate public health interventions targeting healthcare professionals in order to address stigma and eliminate health disparities among Latinos/as with SMI.

Clients’ Perspectives Regarding Peer Support Providers’ Roles and Support for Client Access to and Use of Publicly Funded Mental Health Programs Serving Transition-Age Youth in Two Southern California Counties

“…27 Other recent studies have highlighted the role of cultural and family stigma as important barriers to mental health services among Latinos, the benefits of provider concordance among Latinos in terms of patient satisfaction and engagement in care, and the potential role of peer navigators to better support Latinos with SMI accessing both mental and physical health services. [49][50][51]…”

The Availability of Peer Support and Disparities in Outpatient Mental Health Service Use Among Minority Youth with Serious Mental Illness

“…Hiring of minority peer specialists may reflect greater cultural sensitivity/competency within the program, and/or minority peer staff may contribute to a culturally sensitive climate (Jones et al 2020 ). Racial/ethnic concordance between peers and youth may play a positive role by increasing client trust and rapport (Corrigan et al 2018 ; Corrigan et al 2017a , b ), or by helping youth manage family and/or community stigma regarding mental illness (Greden et al 2010 ; Rivera-Segarra et al 2019 ). These possible interpretations all merit further exploration, including qualitative interviews designed to help unpack underlying directionality, processes and mechanisms.…”

Barriers to Somatic Health Care for Persons With Severe Mental Illness in Belgium: A Qualitative Study of Patients' and Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives

“…These negative attitudes can compromise somatic healthcare professionals' ability to respond to medical symptoms and deliver qualitative somatic care (29). Interestingly, several studies (31)(32)(33) have demonstrated that even mental healthcare professionals have negative stereotypes and social distance desire towards people with SMI, particularly people with schizophrenia.…”