Organizational and Individual Level Determinants of Stigmatization in Mental Health Services

Despite the large amount of research on the existence and the negative consequences of stigmatization of clients of mental health services, little is known about the differences between services. Using data from 520 clients of 47 rehabilitation centers in a multilevel design, we studied organizational and individual characteristics explaining variation in social rejection and self-rejection. The results reveal that only a very small percentage of variance in stigmatization is explained by organizational features, such as size, composition of the client population and the kind of supplied activities. Client level characteristics affecting stigmatization are current mental health status, former mental hospitalization, and participation in psychotherapeutic activities.