Self-stigma predicts post-traumatic and depressive symptoms in traumatized individuals seeking interventions for dissociative symptoms: a preliminary investigation
Creators: name: Fung, Hong Wang
name: Černis, Emma
name: Shum, Michelle Hei Yan
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Cancer
subject: Science Policy
subject: Mental Health

description: <b>Background:</b> Previous studies showed that self-stigma is associated with poor clinical outcomes in people with serious mental illness, and is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, less is known about self-stigma in people with dissociative symptoms, which are often related to psychological trauma. This study examined whether baseline self-stigma would be associated with dissociative, PTSD and depressive symptoms at post-intervention, after controlling for treatment usage and baseline symptom severity, in a sample of traumatized Chinese adults undertaking a psychoeducation intervention for dissociative symptoms. <b>Methods:</b> We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a 60-day web-based psychoeducation programme. A total of 58 participants who provided data before and after the intervention were included for analysis. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. <b>Results:</b> In this highly traumatized, dissociative, and symptomatic help-seeking sample, baseline self-stigma was associated with PTSD (β = .203, <i>p</i> = .032) and depressive (β = .264, <i>p</i> = .025) symptoms at post-intervention, even after controlling for baseline symptom severity, age, location, number of sessions attended in the web-based psychoeducation programme, and use of psychological treatments for PTSD/dissociative symptoms. However, self-stigma was not associated with dissociative symptoms (<i>p</i> = .108). <b>Conclusions:</b> This is the first study showing that self-stigma is a significant predictor of comorbid symptoms (i.e. PTSD and depressive symptoms) in people seeking interventions for dissociative symptoms. The findings that post-traumatic and dissociative symptoms have different relationships to self-stigma also highlight the possibility dissociation might be an independent psychological construct closely associated with trauma, but not merely a PTSD symptom, although further studies are necessary. The preliminary findings call for more efforts to understand, prevent, and address self-stigma in people with trauma-related mental health issues such as dissociative symptoms. Little is known about the clinical impacts of self-stigma in people with trauma and dissociation.Self-stigma predicted post-traumatic and depressive symptoms in people seeking interventions for dissociative symptoms.More efforts to understand and prevent self-stigma in people with trauma-related symptoms are needed. Little is known about the clinical impacts of self-stigma in people with trauma and dissociation. Self-stigma predicted post-traumatic and depressive symptoms in people seeking interventions for dissociative symptoms. More efforts to understand and prevent self-stigma in people with trauma-related symptoms are needed.