Self-Esteem Strategies Needed for People with Mental Illnesses

Newswise — Rehabilitation programs to improve self-esteem among people with mental illnesses should be tailored to their psychiatric and cognitive characteristics, a new study by the University of Michigan and Washington University in St. Louis shows.

The study, which appears in the current issue of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, focused on predictive factors of self-esteem with an emphasis on psychiatric history, cognitive characteristics and causal attributions of mental illness.

"This research, once again, substantiates the significance of self-esteem and the importance of meaningful social roles for everyone, perhaps especially for people with disabilities," said Carol Mowbray, a U-M social work professor.

Mowbray and colleague Sang Kyoung Kahng, assistant professor at Washington University and lead author of the study, collected data from 461 people with mental illnesses served by psychiatric rehabilitation agencies. After controlling for several variables, such as age, race, gender, monthly household income and level of education, the researchers found that:

--Background variables were significantly related to self-esteem as older individuals with high incomes reported higher self-image. These factors might have resulted in the type of treatment received and better coping skills.

--Psychiatric history variables were significantly associated with self-esteem as individuals who had fewer psychiatric symptoms and greater service satisfaction presented higher self-esteem.

--Individuals' cognitive understandings of stigma and social roles were also significant predictors of self-esteem as individuals who had greater beliefs that persons with mental illnesses are stigmatized and fewer important social roles presented lower self-esteem.

--Individuals' causal attributions of mental illness influenced self-esteem only for those with fewer psychiatric symptoms and with more important social roles---that is, those with higher functioning.

"These findings suggest future directions for psychiatric rehabilitation services," said Kahng, adding that consumer self-help groups and agencies where patients work in providing services to their peers may be effective in providing positive social roles.

For more information on Mowbray, visit: click hereFor more on Kahng: http://gwbweb.wustl.edu/people/fac/kahng.htmlPsychiatric Rehabilitation Journal: http://www.bu.edu/prj/spring2005/index.html