Abstract: Examining the Relationship between Stigma and Social Participation and Mental Health Care Utilization Among Probationers with Mental Illness (Society for Social Work and Research 22nd Annual Conference - Achieving Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Justice)

Schedule:

Friday, January 12, 2018: 5:51 PM

Capitol (ML4) (Marriott Marquis Washington DC)

* noted as presenting author

Nikhal Tomar, MS, Doctoral Student, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Gary Cuddeback, PhD, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Amy Blank Wilson, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Marilyn Ghezzi, MSW, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Tonya Van Deinse, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

Stacey Burgin, MA, Research Associate, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carborro, NC

Background: Evidence suggests that mental healthcare can act as a site for stigmatization. Further, having both a psychiatric illness and involvement in the criminal justice system can exacerbate the stigma people face, especially in the areas of healthcare and social participation. The primary purpose of this paper is to examine stigma among probationers with mental illness and determine whether probationers with mental illness experienced differences in stigma and social withdrawal on the basis of mental health care utilization.

Methods: A cross-sectional research design was employed, using a convenient sample of n=111 probationers with mental illness. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews, which included a stigma measure called the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale, which included the social withdrawal sub-scale. Descriptive statistics, T-tests and ANOVA were used to analyze the data.

Results: Analyses revealed that probationers with mental illness who reported not accessing mental health care had lesser levels of both internalized stigma (t=-2.35, p=.02) and social withdrawal (t=-2.42, p=.02) than probationers who reported accessing mental health care.

Implications: One of the central goals of probation is to facilitate community reintegration. Mental health treatment plays a critical role in facilitating this outcome among probationers with mental illness. However, an individual’s opportunity to engage in mental health services is influenced by stigma towards mental illness. As the US continues to struggle with finding ways to address the disproportionate involvement of people with mental illness in the criminal justice system, the relationship between mental health services utilization and stigma among healthcare providers requires further examination.