The association of social support and hope with self‐stigma and perceived recovery among people with schizophrenia: The serial mediation effect

Background It is essential to assist individuals with a mental illness who have achieved clinical recovery in their personal recovery. Understanding the relationship between self‐stigma and social support and the effects on perceived recovery can be valuable for clinical professionals in helping patients lead meaningful lives. Aim To examine the serial mediating roles of social support and perceived hope in self‐stigma and the effects on perceived recovery. Design A cross‐sectional study. Methods The study was conducted from September 2019 to June 2020. One hundred and fifty‐seven patients with schizophrenia in seven chronic rehabilitation wards were enrolled. Each patient had a Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale score ≤ 60 points, and they regularly participated in occupational rehabilitation. Research tools included demographic data, the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (ISMIS), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Herth Hope Index (HHI), and Perceived Recovery Inventory (PRI). IBM SPSS 24.0 was used to analyse the data. Pearson correlation was used to analyse the relationships between variables, and models 4 and 6 of PROCESS macro V3.4 for SPSS were used to examine the mediation model. Results The results indicated that self‐stigma and perceived recovery in patients with schizophrenia are negatively correlated, that peer support and perceived hope mediate the relationship between them, and that peer support and perceived hope also have a statistically significant serial mediating effect. Conclusion The serial mediation effect of peer support and perceived hope on the relationship between self‐stigma and perceived recovery was statistically significant in this study. Impact This research delves into strategies to assist psychiatric patients in reducing self‐stigma and achieving recovery. The findings underscore the heightened significance of peer support for patients in rehabilitative wards and offer valuable insights for medical staff. Reporting Method STROBE checklist. Patient or Public Contribution No patient or public contribution.