Other Titles
Exploring Stigma: Attitudes and Beliefs About Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder Among Health Care Team Members [Poster Title]
Abstract
Stigma toward persons with mental illness (MI) and substance use disorder (SUD) exists worldwide, in both general populations and health care settings. Stigmatizing beliefs and attitudes can negatively impact patient experiences, quality of care, work environments, and patient safety.1,2,3 Little research has explored stigma toward persons with MI and SUD in acute care settings in the midwestern United States. To embrace equitable practice, a better understanding of stigma among personnel employed in a regional health care system may guide initiatives to reduce stigma and improve patient-centered care for vulnerable populations.
This descriptive research study aimed to examine stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs of health care personnel toward persons with MI or SUD and evaluate the psychometric properties of two Opening Minds surveys that measured stigma toward persons with MI and SUD.4,5 The instruments were previously untested in clinical and nonclinical personnel in rural and urban care settings. A convenience sample (n = 1050) was predominately white, and college educated. Half worked in direct care clinical roles, and half in non-clinical roles. 75% worked in a large suburban teaching hospital; 25% worked in a rural critical access hospital or ambulatory sites. One-third worked in a behavioral health role, while 90% had a close friend or family member with MI or SUD. Means scores on the surveys for MI and SUD were 2.06 and 2.35, respectively, on a five-point scale, with higher scores indicating greater stigma. Older participants held more stigma related to MI than younger participants (p < .01). Working in a behavioral health role or having a close friend or family with MI or SUD were significantly related to low stigma scores (p < .001). Factor analysis supported construct validity of the two instruments. Cronbach alphas were .84 and .93, respectively.
Working in behavioral health roles and/or knowing someone with MI or SUD were related to low stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, interventions to reduce stigma in health care team members should include experiential learning opportunities, such as interactive modules, storytelling, and case studies. Results revealed the Opening Minds surveys can be used with confidence to measure self-reports of stigma toward persons with MI and SUD among clinical and nonclinical personnel employed in rural and urban acute care facilities in the midwestern United States.
Notes
References:
1. Knaak, S., Mantler, E., & Szeto, A. (2017). Mental illness-related stigma in healthcare: Barriers to access and care and evidence-based solutions. In Healthcare management forum (Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 111-116). Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
2. Riffel, T., & Chen, S. P. (2020). Stigma in healthcare? Exploring the knowledge, attitudes, and behavioural responses of healthcare professionals and students toward individuals with mental illnesses. Psychiatric Quarterly, 91(4), 1103-1119.
3. Carrara, B. S., Fernandes, R. H. H., Bobbili, S. J., & Ventura, C. A. A. (2021). Health care providers and people with mental illness: An integrative review on anti-stigma interventions. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 67(7), 840-853.
4. Modgill, G., Patten, S. B., Knaak, S., Kassam, A., & Szeto, A. C. (2014). Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC): Examination of psychometric properties and responsiveness. BMC Psychiatry, 14, 1-10.
5. Knaak, S., Patten, S., & Stuart, H. (2022). Measuring stigma towards people with opioid use problems: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the Opening Minds Provider Attitudes Towards Opioid-use Scale (OM-PATOS). International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 20(6), 3398-3409.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Workforce, lncivility, Ethics, Cultural Context and Care, Mental Illness Stigma, Stigma, Substance Use Disorder
Recommended Citation
Rook, Gwendolyn; McMillan, Jan; Goldsby, Elizabeth Anne; Jones, James A.; Lester, Eric; Avila, Patricia; Maxymuik, Jamie; Brunswick, Carey Anne; and Twibell, Kathryn Renee, "Stigma Toward Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder in a Regional Health Care System" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 33.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/33
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
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
2025-11-21
Stigma Toward Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder in a Regional Health Care System
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Stigma toward persons with mental illness (MI) and substance use disorder (SUD) exists worldwide, in both general populations and health care settings. Stigmatizing beliefs and attitudes can negatively impact patient experiences, quality of care, work environments, and patient safety.1,2,3 Little research has explored stigma toward persons with MI and SUD in acute care settings in the midwestern United States. To embrace equitable practice, a better understanding of stigma among personnel employed in a regional health care system may guide initiatives to reduce stigma and improve patient-centered care for vulnerable populations.
This descriptive research study aimed to examine stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs of health care personnel toward persons with MI or SUD and evaluate the psychometric properties of two Opening Minds surveys that measured stigma toward persons with MI and SUD.4,5 The instruments were previously untested in clinical and nonclinical personnel in rural and urban care settings. A convenience sample (n = 1050) was predominately white, and college educated. Half worked in direct care clinical roles, and half in non-clinical roles. 75% worked in a large suburban teaching hospital; 25% worked in a rural critical access hospital or ambulatory sites. One-third worked in a behavioral health role, while 90% had a close friend or family member with MI or SUD. Means scores on the surveys for MI and SUD were 2.06 and 2.35, respectively, on a five-point scale, with higher scores indicating greater stigma. Older participants held more stigma related to MI than younger participants (p < .01). Working in a behavioral health role or having a close friend or family with MI or SUD were significantly related to low stigma scores (p < .001). Factor analysis supported construct validity of the two instruments. Cronbach alphas were .84 and .93, respectively.
Working in behavioral health roles and/or knowing someone with MI or SUD were related to low stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, interventions to reduce stigma in health care team members should include experiential learning opportunities, such as interactive modules, storytelling, and case studies. Results revealed the Opening Minds surveys can be used with confidence to measure self-reports of stigma toward persons with MI and SUD among clinical and nonclinical personnel employed in rural and urban acute care facilities in the midwestern United States.
Description
Stigma held by health care personnel toward persons with mental illness (MI) or substance use disorder (SUD) can impact patient experiences and work environments. In this study, participants who knew a close friend or family member with MI or SUD self-reported low stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs. Stigma increased with age. When planning initiatives to reduce stigma, nurses can ensure experiential learning experiences. Results strongly supported validity and reliability of the two instruments.