Provider lived experience and stigma

Abstract

Despite professional values about advocacy for people managing mental health challenges, research on mental health providers indicates that this group expresses as much or more stigma than laypeople. This article reports on a continuing education needs assessment of 101 mental health providers, including evaluation of (a) knowledge about recovery-oriented care, (b) work engagement, (c) provider lived experience with mental health challenges, and (d) stigma, measured as disidentification. In this group of providers, recovery knowledge, lived experience, and work engagement were associated with less stigma toward clients. Recovery knowledge and work engagement were associated with less stigma toward other providers with lived experience, but having lived experience was not associated with stigma toward other providers with lived experience. Findings suggest that the professional culture of nondisclosure may be a factor that increases provider stigma and should be a topic for further research. (PsycINFO Database Record