Internalization of Stigma and Self-esteem as It Affects the Capacity for Intimacy Among Patients with Schizophrenia, Comparison Between Jews and Arabs

Abstract

People with schizophrenia often experience severe repercussions associated with social isolation. Recent study among Israeli patients with schizophrenia found that internalization of social stigma is a significant factor that affects self-esteem and the ability to create intimacy. This study may indicate that this effect could be different among Arab patients with schizophrenia, since there was a significantly higher percentage of married Muslim than married Jews among this sample of patients.¹

In light of this, the current study emerged aiming to examine the relationship between internalization of stigma, self-esteem, and the ability to form intimate attachments with loved ones among Arab patients with schizophrenia. The study aims to compare the Arab patients to the previous sample of 30 Jewish patients with schizophrenia.¹ Data is gathered among thirty Muslim men and women diagnosed with schizophrenia who live in the community, ages 18-60. Data is collected by the following measures: Self-Esteem Scale, Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale, the Intimacy Attitude Scale-Revised and a demographical questionnaire. The study received the approval of the Ethics Committee and now is at the stage of data collection.

This study may contribute to our clinical knowledge on the capacity for intimacy and may provide a therapeutic window for advanced nursing interventions for culturally sensitive intervention for people with schizophrenia.