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Change in stigma severity following psychiatric hospitalisation: a study of associated clinical factors in an Indian setting
Kumar, Manoj Therayil
Kumar, Manoj Therayil
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2026-01-28
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Abstract
Background:
While stigma surrounding mental illness continues to affect management, there are hardly any studies reflecting any change following psychiatric admission. We aimed to examine how self-stigma changes during treatment in an inpatient setting and how it relates to improvements in symptoms and functioning.
Methods:
We analyzed stigma, depression, anxiety, stress, insight, well-being, functioning, and disability in 100 consecutive patients at admission and discharge in a psychiatric hospital in Kerala.
Results:
At admission, 34.5% (confidence interval [CI]: 24.5–45.7) of patients reported self-stigma, which decreased to 23.2% (CI: 15.1–32.9) at discharge; the stigma score decreased from 17.1 ± 6.6 to 14.9 ± 4.7 (p < .005). However, stigma levels did not change between admission and discharge for most (68.3%) patients; 87.5% had minimal stigma, with no scope for further reduction. In a minority (7.3%), stigma severity increased. Stigma correlated positively with depression, anxiety, functioning, and insight, and negatively with age and well-being at admission; and at discharge, positively with stress. Patients reporting stigma had higher depression, anxiety, insight, and poorer well-being both at admission and discharge.
Conclusions:
Most patients had a lower level of stigma; average stigma severity decreased during psychiatric admission; however, in a minority, it increased. While usual care was beneficial, the effectiveness of a proactive approach to stigma reduction warrants further study.
Citation
Kumar, M.T. and Kar, N. (2026) Change in stigma severity following psychiatric hospitalisation: a study of associated clinical factors in an Indian setting. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine. DOI: 10.1177/02537176251415360
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Journal article
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en
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© 2026 The Authors. Published by SAGE. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence.
The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1177/0253717625141536
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0253-7176