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Original Article
The Lived Experience of Stigma among Mentally Ill Persons
Myung Sun Hyun, Young Hee Kim, Hee Sun Kang, Kyoung A Nam
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 2012;42(2):226-235.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2012.42.2.226
Published online: April 30, 2012

1Professor, College of Nursing, Ajou University, Suwon, Korea.

2Team Leader, EUM Hospital, Yongin, Korea.

3Associate Professor, Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea.

4Associate Professor, Division of Nursing, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Nam, Kyoung A. Division of Nursing, Hallym University, 1 Hallymdaehak-gil, Chuncheon Gangwon-do, 200-702, The Republic of Korea. Tel: +82-33-248-2717, Fax: +82-33-248-2734, namka@hallym.ac.kr
• Received: February 22, 2011   • Accepted: April 26, 2012

© 2012 Korean Society of Nursing Science

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  • Purpose
    The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experiences of stigma among mentally ill persons.
  • Methods
    Phenomenological methodology was used for the study. Participants were twelve people with mental illness enrolled at the S community mental health center in GyeongGi-Do. Data were collected via in-depth interviews from August 30 to October 1, 2010 and analyzed using Colaizzi's framework.
  • Results
    Four themes and sixteen formulated meanings were identified for the stigma experiences of participants with mental illness. The four themes were 'Incapable of struggling against unfair treatment', 'Living as an outsider', 'Being constrained by oneself', 'Being in suspense over disclosure of oneself'.
  • Conclusion
    The results from this study underscore the need for an educational and awareness programs to reduce public stigma among the general population and self-stigma among people with mental illness. In addition, efforts are also needed to prioritize mental illness stigma as a major public health issue at the government and community level.
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Table 1
Formulated Meanings and Themes
jkan-42-226-i001.jpg

Figure & Data

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    Formulated Meanings and Themes

    Table 1 Formulated Meanings and Themes


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