“Looking beyond Mental Health Stigma”: An Online Focus Group Study among Senior Undergraduate Nursing Students

Olga Valentim (), Lídia Moutinho, Carlos Laranjeira, Ana Querido, Catarina Tomás, João Longo, Daniel Carvalho, João Gomes, Tânia Morgado and Tânia Correia
Additional contact information
Olga Valentim: CINTESIS@RISE, Nursing School of Porto (ESEP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Lídia Moutinho: Higher School of Nursing of Lisbon (ESEL), Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1600-096 Lisboa, Portugal
Carlos Laranjeira: Centre for Innovative Care and Health Technology (ciTechCare), Polytechnic of Leiria, Rua de Santo André—66–68, Campus 5, 2410-541 Leiria, Portugal
Ana Querido: CINTESIS@RISE, Nursing School of Porto (ESEP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Catarina Tomás: CINTESIS@RISE, Nursing School of Porto (ESEP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
João Longo: Ribeiro Sanches Higher School of Health (ERISA)–IPLUSO, 1950-396 Lisboa, Portugal
Daniel Carvalho: Centre for Innovative Care and Health Technology (ciTechCare), Polytechnic of Leiria, Rua de Santo André—66–68, Campus 5, 2410-541 Leiria, Portugal
João Gomes: School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic of Leiria, Campus 2, Morro do Lena, Alto do Vieiro, Apartado 4137, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal
Tânia Morgado: CINTESIS@RISE, Nursing School of Porto (ESEP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal
Tânia Correia: CINTESIS@RISE, Nursing School of Porto (ESEP), 4200-450 Porto, Portugal

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-17

Abstract: Evidence highlights the need for professionals to be aware of their stigmatizing attitudes and discriminatory practices in order to minimize the negative impact on the people they take care of. However, nursing students’ perceptions of these issues have been poorly studied. This study explores the perspective of senior undergraduate nursing students on mental health and the stigma around it, by considering a simulated case vignette of a person with a mental health problem. A descriptive qualitative approach was chosen and involved three online focus group discussions. The findings show various manifestations of stigma, both at an individual and collective level, which indicates that it is an obstacle to the wellbeing of people with mental illness. Individual manifestations of stigma concern its effect on the person with mental illness, while at the collective level they concern the family or society in general. Stigma is a multifactorial, multidimensional, and complex concept, in terms of identifying and fighting it. Thus, the strategies identified involve multiple approaches at the individual level, aimed at the patient and family, namely through education/training, communication, and relationship strategies. At the collective level, to intervene with the general population and specific groups, such as groups of young people, strategies suggested include education/training, use of the media, and contact with people with mental disorders as ways to fight stigma.

Keywords: mental health; social discrimination; focus groups; nursing students; stigma (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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