| Abstract [eng] |
The relationship among self-stigma, social connectedness and suicidality among people with depression. Kamile Piragyte. Vilnius, Vilnius University, 2022. 87 pgs. Due to negative stereotypes about mental disorders, people who suffer from such disorders tend to stigmatize themselves. Different research works disclose the harm of self - stigma to a person’s mental well-being. However, there has been little research in Lithuania on the phenomenon of self - stigma. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship among self - stigmatization, sense of social connectedness and suicidal behaviour in people diagnosed with depression and those who are not but consider themselves having it. 273 persons took part in the research (254 women, 17 men, others -2, from 18 to 62 years of age), 185 of which were diagnosed with depression and 88 were not. The methods applied: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (Kroenke et al., 2001), Internalized Sigma of Mental Illness Scale (Ritsher Boyd et al., 2003), Social Connectedness Scale (Lee et al., 2001), Suicide Behaviours Questionnaire - Revised (Osman et al., 2001), Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (Van Spijker et al., 2014). Two-dimensional statistical, moderation and mediation analyses were carried out. The results of the research revealed the link between self-stigma, sense of social connectedness and suicidal thoughts. The relationship of suicidal behaviour, self-stigma and social connectedness among individuals with depression was not found under the control of their sex, age and the expressiveness of depression. However, this relationship was found among individuals not diagnosed with depression. Social connectedness does not function as a moderator between self-stigma and suicidal thoughts but it moderates the relationship between self-stigma and suicidal behaviour among individuals who are not diagnosed with depression. Depression moderates the relationship between self-stigma and suicidal behaviour as well as between social connectedness and suicidal thoughts. Although depression mediates the link between social connectedness and suicidal behaviour in those who are diagnosed with depression, it does not in people who have no depression. Kew words: self – stigma, social connectedness, suicidality, mental disorders. |
