The Influence Of Self-stigma On Hope Level In Individuals With Mental Disabilities:An Analysis Of Chained Mediation

The number of individuals with mental disabilities is large,accounting for about 10%of the total disabled population in China.Compared with other types of persons with disabilities,this group has a higher demand for recovery and medical treatment.Effective recovery services are not only conducive to the social integration of the individuals with mental disabilities,but also contribute to social stability and harmony.At present,self-stigma is prevalent in individuals with mental disabilities and has become a stubborn factor hindering recovery.The experience of self-stigma in individuals with mental disabilities may not only reduce the level of hope,but also impair the normal functioning of family and affect their attitude toward professional psychological help.The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-stigma and hope among 330 people of individuals with mental disabilities undergoing community recovery in Guangzhou,and to examine the chain mediating effect of family function and attitude toward professional psychological help on this relationship.The results showed that the individuals with mental disabilities had more serious self-stigma（M=2.52,SD=0.40）,and 43.1% had high level of self-stigma.Their hope level was medium（M=33.35,SD=4.80）,the level of hope of males was significantly lower than that of females,and that of minors was significantly lower than that of adults.Their family function was moderate（M=6.17,SD=4.80）,and the longer the years of disease and the higher the family income,the higher the degree of family function.In terms of attitude toward professional psychological help,37.6% had a more positive attitude（M=2.63,SD=0.33）,and the minors were more negative than the middle and young people.The correlation analysis showed that self-stigma negatively predicted hope（β=-0.289,p<0.001）、family function（β=-0.465,p<0.001）and attitude toward professional psychological help（β=-0.308,p < 0.001）.Family function positively predicted attitude toward professional psychological help（β=0.165,p<0.01）and hope（β=0.305,p<0.001）.Attitude toward professional psychological help positively predicted the level of hope（β=0.307,p<0.001）.The results of mediating analysis confirmed the chain mediating effect of family function and attitude toward professional psychological help on the relationship between self-stigma and hope,and the total indirect effect was 47.30%.Research shows that social workers in the field of mental health should pay attention to the heterogeneity between groups and make targeted interventions.When providing recovery services,social workers can intervene in the self-stigma,family function and professional psychological attitudes to help,in order to eliminate self-stigma and its negative effects and improve the level of hope.