Internalized Stigma As An Independent Predictor Of Employment Status In Patients With Schizophrenia

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the relationship between employment status and internalized stigma in patients with schizophrenia in Hong Kong. Methods: One hundred and seventy- nine patients with schizophrenia were included in this study. The employed group included patients with full- or parttime open employment and full-time students. The unemployed group included those attending rehabilitation services and those unemployed. Internalized stigma was assessed using the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale, consisting of alienation, stereotype endorsement, discrimination experience, social withdrawal, and stigma resistance domains. The relationship between these domains and employment status was assessed using logistic regression. Findings: Fifty-seven percent of participants were employed. Employment status was positively associated with stigma resistance and negatively associated with stereotype endorsement, but not with total internalized stigma. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Findings suggest that future interventions can focus on increasing stigma resistance and reducing stereotype endorsement to improve vocational outcomes in patients with schizophrenia.