Children Receiving Mental Health Treatment: Self-concept and stigmatisation | C4C

Although the impact of stigma associated with mental illness has been studied in adults, research on its importance in the psychological development and well-being of children accessing mental health difficulties is scarce. Approximately 10% of children between the ages of 5 and 16 experience a mental illness at any given time in the UK, yet less than a third seek help. There a strong link between low self-esteem (affected by both mental health difficulties and stigma) and negative clinical outcomes. Stigma has been identified as one of the key barriers to accessing treatment. The urgency to establish the extent of stigma experienced by children with mental health problems is therefore evident. The aims of the study are to develop and validate a scale of perceived self-stigmatisation for children (PaedS) and use it to compare perceived stigma in children receiving inpatient with those receiving outpatient mental health treatment.