Abstract
Stigmatizing beliefs about mental illness remain widespread among both lay persons and healthcare professionals, undermining help seeking, recovery, and successful community reintegration for individuals living with mental illness (Agapie et al., 2022; Ahad et al., 2023). The factors which drive mental illness stigma and discrimination (MISAD) are varied, deep seated and often difficult to change (Khalid et al., 2024).
The purpose of this study was to explore the nature and manifestations of mental illness stigma and discrimination across selected participant groups in Trinidad and Tobago, identifying points of convergence and divergence. A secondary aim was to examine how the nursing curriculum at College X addresses social justice, human rights, and core nursing values in relation to mental health.
Using a qualitative descriptive design, vignettes depicting five common mental health conditions guided in-depth interviews with lay persons and focus group discussions with final year student nurses, and recent graduates of College X. Data from interview transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, complemented by document analysis of students’ reflective journals.
Across participant groups the mental illnesses that elicited the highest levels of stigma and discrimination were schizophrenia and substance use disorders. People living with schizophrenia were feared due to a perception of them as dangerous and unpredictable while those with a substance use disorder were seen as a burden to society and were more likely to be blamed for causing their own problems. People with intellectual disability disorder (IDD) were perceived as being the most vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse.
These forms of stigma and discrimination pose significant barriers to community reintegration efforts.
Notes
References:
1. Ahad, A. A., Sanchez-Gonzalez, M., & Junquera, P. (2023). Understanding and addressing mental health stigma across cultures for improving psychiatric care: A narrative review. Cureus, 15(5), e39549. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.39549
2. Agapie, E., Areán, P. A., Hsieh, G., & Munson, S. A. (2022). A longitudinal goal setting model for addressing complex personal problems in mental health. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 6(CSCW2), Article 270. https://doi.org/10.1145/3555160
3. Khalid, A., Hussein, A., & Osman, S. (2024). Religious beliefs, cultural perceptions, and structural violence as determinants of mental illness stigma: A scoping review. BMC Public Health, 24, 1123. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-1123-7
Sigma Membership
Phi Gamma (Virtual)
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Sustainable Development Goals, Social Stigma, Mental Health, Mental Illness, People with Mental Illness, Nurses' Attitudes, Attitudes Toward Mental Illness, Discrimination (Sociology)
Recommended Citation
Wiseman, Carol Paula, "The Dimensions of Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Nursing Personnel and Lay Persons" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 328.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/328
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-09-29
The Dimensions of Mental Illness Stigma and Discrimination Among Nursing Personnel and Lay Persons
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Stigmatizing beliefs about mental illness remain widespread among both lay persons and healthcare professionals, undermining help seeking, recovery, and successful community reintegration for individuals living with mental illness (Agapie et al., 2022; Ahad et al., 2023). The factors which drive mental illness stigma and discrimination (MISAD) are varied, deep seated and often difficult to change (Khalid et al., 2024).
The purpose of this study was to explore the nature and manifestations of mental illness stigma and discrimination across selected participant groups in Trinidad and Tobago, identifying points of convergence and divergence. A secondary aim was to examine how the nursing curriculum at College X addresses social justice, human rights, and core nursing values in relation to mental health.
Using a qualitative descriptive design, vignettes depicting five common mental health conditions guided in-depth interviews with lay persons and focus group discussions with final year student nurses, and recent graduates of College X. Data from interview transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, complemented by document analysis of students’ reflective journals.
Across participant groups the mental illnesses that elicited the highest levels of stigma and discrimination were schizophrenia and substance use disorders. People living with schizophrenia were feared due to a perception of them as dangerous and unpredictable while those with a substance use disorder were seen as a burden to society and were more likely to be blamed for causing their own problems. People with intellectual disability disorder (IDD) were perceived as being the most vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse.
These forms of stigma and discrimination pose significant barriers to community reintegration efforts.
Description
This study explored how MISAD is expressed by lay persons, student nurses, and recent nursing graduates and examined whether the nursing curriculum at College X addresses social justice and human rights in mental health. The study found that schizophrenia and substance use disorders attracted the highest levels of stigma. The findings highlight the need for nursing education to include explicit stigma reduction and human rights focused content.