The purpose of the present study was to advance a theoretical understanding of the mechanisms by which WISEs can influence the stigma associated with mental illness. Many people with serious mental illnesses want to work, but despite much attention to work entry strategies, unemployment rates remain exceptionally high among this population. Stigma has been identified as a particularly pernicious barrier to the full community participation of people with mental illnesses. If work integration social enterprises (WISE) are to positively impact the full community participation of people with mental illnesses, then addressing stigma will be integral to their operation.,A comparative case study approach was used to address the following research questions: “How is the stigma of mental illness experienced in the everyday operations of WISE?” and “What influence do WISEs have on the stigma of mental illness within the workplace and beyond?” Five established WISEs that pay workers at minimum wage or better were selected for inclusion. The maximum variation sample included WISEs that varied in terms of geographical location, form of commerce, business size, revenues and degree of connection with mental health systems and local communities. Data analysis was conducted in four stages using qualitative methods.,The study findings suggest processes by which WISEs can positively impact the stigma of mental illness. Three social processes are associated with the potential of WISE to contribute to stigma reduction: perception of legitimacy, perception of value and perception of competence. Each of these social processes is fueled by underlying tensions in practice that arise in the context of negotiating the dual goals of the business.,This study advances theoretical understanding of the ways in which stigma may be perpetuated or reduced in WISE by revealing the social processes and practice tensions that may be associated with operation choices made by WISEs and their partners. Further research would be required to determine if the processes described actually lead to reduced stigma. Although efforts were made to select WISEs that demonstrate a variety of features, it is likely that some important features were absent. Additional research could further explore the findings identified here with WISEs from other sectors, including youth and workers with transient or less severe forms of illness. This work should be replicated internationally to explore how contextual factors may influence individual and public perceptions.,The findings provide guidance for WISE developers in the mental health sector concerning strategies that may help mitigate the development of stigmatizing features within a social enterprise and by extension improve the work experience and workforce integration of employees. The identification of these processes and tensions can be used to advance the development of consensus principles and standards in the WISE field and contribute to ongoing evaluation and research.,WISEs have the potential to reduce stigma, an important goal to support their efforts to improve employment and integration outcomes for people with mental illnesses. Through their business structures and operations they may be able to impact stigma by positively influencing perceptions of legitimacy, value and competence – all issues that have been associated with public assumptions about mental illness that sustain stigma.,To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to specifically focus on stigma in the WISE sector, particularly as it relates to the work integration of persons with mental illnesses. The findings provide a range of theoretical and practical implications for future development in the field and highlight factors that merit consideration more broadly in the sector.

中文翻译：

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社会企业的工作融合如何影响精神病的耻辱

本研究的目的是提高对WISE可以影响与精神疾病相关的污名的机制的理论理解。许多患有严重精神疾病的人都想工作，但是尽管人们非常重视工作进入策略，但该人群的失业率仍然异常高。污名被认为是精神疾病患者社区全面参与的特别有害的障碍。如果工作整合型社会企业（WISE）要积极影响精神疾病患者的整个社区参与，那么解决污名化将是其运营不可或缺的组成部分。比较案例研究方法用于解决以下研究问题：“在WISE的日常运营中，精神疾病的耻辱感如何？” 和“ WISE对工作场所内外的精神疾病的耻辱有什么影响？” 选择了五个以最低工资或更高工资支付工人工资的既定WISE。最大变化样本包括WISE，这些WISE在地理位置，商业形式，业务规模，收入以及与精神卫生系统和当地社区的联系程度方面有所不同。使用定性方法在四个阶段进行了数据分析。研究发现提出了WISE可以积极影响精神病耻辱感的过程。WISE有助于减少耻辱感的三个社会过程是：合法性的感知，价值的感知和能力的感知。在谈判企业双重目标的背景下，实践中潜在的潜在紧张情绪助长了这些社会过程中的每一个。本研究通过揭示社会过程，促进了对WISE中污名的长期存在或减少的方式的理论理解。并练习可能与WISE及其合作伙伴的操作选择有关的紧张关系。需要进一步的研究来确定所描述的过程是否实际上导致了污名的减少。尽管已努力选择具有多种功能的WISE，但很可能缺少某些重要功能。进一步的研究可以进一步探索与其他部门的WISE一起在这里发现的发现，包括青年和患有短暂或较轻疾病形式的工人。这项工作应在国际上复制，以探索背景因素如何影响个人和公众的看法。研究结果为精神卫生部门的WISE开发人员提供了有关策略的指导，这些策略可以帮助减轻社会企业中带有污名化特征的发展，并通过扩展来改善员工的工作经验和劳动力整合。这些过程和紧张关系的识别可用于促进WISE领域共识原则和标准的发展，并有助于正在进行的评估和研究。WISE具有减少污名化的潜力，这是支持其改善就业的重要目标和精神疾病患者的融合成果。通过他们的业务结构和运营，他们可能能够通过积极影响合法性，价值和能力的观念来影响污名化；所有与合法性假设有关的问题都与维持污名化的公共假设有关。据作者所知，这项研究是第一个专门针对WISE部门的耻辱的研究，特别是因为它涉及精神疾病患者的工作整合。研究结果为该领域的未来发展提供了一系列理论和实践意义，并突出了值得在该领域中更广泛考虑的因素。就作者所知，该研究是第一个专门针对WISE部门中的耻辱的研究，尤其是因为它与精神疾病患者的工作融合有关。研究结果为该领域的未来发展提供了一系列理论和实践意义，并突出了值得在该领域中更广泛考虑的因素。就作者所知，该研究是第一个专门针对WISE部门中的耻辱的研究，尤其是因为它涉及精神疾病患者的工作整合。研究结果为该领域的未来发展提供了一系列理论和实践意义，并突出了值得在该领域中更广泛考虑的因素。