Abstract

Background: Stigma has negative impacts on both individuals with disabilities and their caregivers, including poor mental health and social isolation. In the present study, we aimed to test a model of stigma internalization among parents of individuals with disabilities, as this process in not yet completely understood.

Aim: Specifically, we explored effects of experienced stigma and neuroticism on affiliate stigma and examined whether perceived stigma and self-blame are mediators in a stigma internalization model.

Methods: We recruited 82 parents of individuals with disabilities in Serbia over the course of six months. Parents were asked about perceived stigma, experienced stigma, affiliate stigma, self-blame, and they completed an assessment of personality traits.

Results: Both experienced stigma and neuroticism were positively correlated with affiliate stigma. In addition, perceived stigma was a mediator between these variables: parents who experienced stigma more and had higher neuroticism scores reported higher degrees of perceived stigma, which in turn positively affected affiliate stigma. Self-blame was not a significant mediator in the tested model.

Conclusion: We conclude stigma internalization among parents of individuals with disabilities is a complex process, involving experienced stigma, neuroticism, and perceived stigma. Interventions should include multiple paths to adequately support parents to combat stigma.

摘要

背景：污名化对残疾人及其照顾者都有负面影响，包括心理健康不佳和社会孤立。在本研究中，我们旨在测试残障人士父母的耻辱感内化模型，因为这一过程尚未完全理解。

目的：具体来说，我们探讨了经历过的耻辱感和神经质对附属耻辱感的影响，并检验了感知的耻辱感和自责是否是耻辱感内化模型中的中介。

方法：我们在六个月的时间里在塞尔维亚招募了 82 名残疾人的父母。父母被问及感知到的耻辱感、经历过的耻辱感、附属耻辱感、自责，他们完成了人格特质评估。

结果：经历过的耻辱感和神经质都与附属耻辱感呈正相关。此外，感知耻辱感是这些变量之间的中介：经历更多耻辱感和更高神经质分数的父母报告更高程度的感知耻辱感，这反过来又对附属耻辱感产生积极影响。自责不是测试模型中的重要中介。

结论：我们得出结论，残障人士父母的耻辱感内化是一个复杂的过程，涉及经历过的耻辱感、神经质和感知到的耻辱感。干预措施应包括多种途径，以充分支持父母与污名化作斗争。