Experiences of Family Stigma among Mothers of Adult Children with Mental Illness in South Korea

ABSTRACT

People with mental illness suffer from stigma in addition to the illness itself; their families also suffer from the stigma of having a family member with a mental illness. The aim of the present study was to explore the lived experiences of the family stigma among mothers of mentally ill children in South Korea. The work was qualitative in nature; we used the phenomenological method of Colaizzi. Mothers with an adult child enrolled as mentally ill patients in the Mental Health Centre of K Province in South Korea were eligible for inclusion. Findings: Six themes emerged; these were being ashamed, feeling of being ignored, isolating oneself from social relationships, becoming a mentally sick person, living like a guilty person, and becoming a part of the socially weak. The study contributes to our understanding of stigma experienced by family members in a socio-cultural context and will aid in the development of culturally appropriate strategies for the destigmatization of families of mentally ill persons.

Declaration of interest

None of the authors has any actual or potential conflict of interest including any financial, personal, or other relationships with people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or be perceived to influence this work.

Funding

This work was supported by basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2010–0006812).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Myung-Sun Hyun

Myung-Sun Hyun conceived of and designed the work, collected the data & performed analysis, drafted the manuscript and gave final approval.

Hyang-In Cho Chung

Hyang-In Cho Chung analysed the data, drafted the manuscript and submitted agreements.

Hyunlye Kim

Hyunlye Kim perfomed data analysis, drafted the manuscript and submitted agreements and the work.