People with mental disorder can share negative stereotypes, related to mental disorders. This might cause self-stigmatization, which is negatively related to quality of life and compliance with treatment. This self-stigmatization can be non-conscious or implicit, which might complicate it detection and further therapy.

In present study we investigated the role of values in implicit self-stigmatization among 40 women diagnosed with schizophrenia (mean age 23.77 years ±6).

Participants completed the Portrait Value Questionnaire (Schwartz, 2003) and two brief implicit association tests (BIAT), measuring implicit self-esteem and attitudes towards mental disorders (Corrigan et al., 2010). The results of two BIATs were combined as a measure of implicit self-stigmatization.

A linear regression model was built. Four values (self-enhancement, self-transcendence, openness to change and conservation values) were entered as independent variables, while implicit self-stigmatization – as dependent variable. It was found that self-transcendence values were marginally negatively related to implicit self-stigmatization (b=-.122, β=-.398, SE=.064, p=.067), while other values were not significantly related to it (ps>.125).

Self-transcendence values – values related to the well-being of others, which include tolerance, altruism and protection for the welfare of all people and for nature – are negatively related to implicit or non-conscious self-stigmatization. This finding, although marginally significant, is in line with previous studies. Previous studies showed that self-transcendence values are also negatively associated with explicit or conscious self-stigmatization (Lannin et al., 2020). Thus, these values can be targets for programs which aim to decrease self-stigmatization tendencies among patients with mental illness.

Research on the impact of stigma associated with mental illness in children is scarce. Considering the known negative effects of stigma associated with mental illness in adults, it is crucial to explore the stigma experienced by children who access mental health treatment. However, no scale measuring self-stigmatization in younger children is available to date. This study aimed to develop and validate such a scale, the Paediatric Self-Stigmatization Scale (PaedS).

A total of 156 children (119 receiving outpatient and 37 receiving inpatient treatment), aged 8–12 years, completed the PaedS, the Self-Perception Profile for Children and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL – Child Report, ages 8–12). In addition, parents completed the PedsQL (Parent Report for Children, ages 8–12), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and a modified subscale of the PaedS measuring the children's rejection by others due to their mental health difficulties.

A confirmatory factor analysis showed that a four-factor structure, comprising Societal Devaluation, Personal Rejection, Self-Stigma and Secrecy scales, had excellent fit to the data (CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.05). Child-reported PaedS scores were positively correlated with parental-reported PaedS scores and negatively with PedsQL, the SDQ, and 5 out of 6 subscales of the Self-Perception Profile for Children, suggesting adequate convergent validity (all P-values < 0.05).

The PaedS is a valid instrument, which is hoped to advance the understanding of self-stigmatization in children with mental health difficulties and contribute to its prevention.