Battling stigma in a stigmatized profession: a secondary analysis of registered psychiatric nurse professional identity research

Psychiatric nurses often experience associative stigma. Associative stigma may impact psychiatric nurses’ views of their professional identity which ultimately impacts the health care of individuals experiencing mental health concerns. Very little research has been conducted on associative stigma in the western Prairie Provinces, including Manitoba. The authors conducted a secondary analysis on the results of an explanatory sequential mixed methods research study to determine if psychiatric nurses in Manitoba are influenced by associative stigma. Three themes were identified through this analysis, specifically: (1) the perception that RPNs are not “Real” Nurses; (2) lack of recognition of specialized training; and (3) working with a stigmatized population. Associative stigma was intertwined in all of the participants’ narratives indicating a need to dismantle associative stigma. Strategies to enhance the public perception of psychiatric nursing and decrease associative stigma within the profession are described. Sometimes I don’t know what is worse, living in a state of panic or living with other people’s attitudes about it. (Healthy Place, 2018) As the quote suggests, detrimental societal reactions often either overshadow or aggravate the symptoms associated with mental illness among many individuals. Harmful societal messaging, such as: (1) people with mental illness are violent, (2) mental illness is an excuse for bad behavior, and (3) people with mental illness are to be blamed for their condition (Horsfall, Cleary, & Hunt, 2010) are predominant and have an impact on how people are treated within the health care system and society in general. These statements are an example of what is otherwise known as stigma. Stigma may be defined as “negative attitudes and beliefs about a group of people due to their circumstance in life” (Government of Canada, 2018, para. 2). Stigma causes disastrous effects on individuals’ abilities to live full, complete and satisfying lives (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2018; Corrigan, Morris, Michaels, Rafacz, & Rusch, 2012). To compound the problem, in some situations and settings professionals—including those who provide care to this population—have been influenced by these negative misconceptions, which directly impact the treatment they provide to individuals with mental illness (Halter, 2008; Nakash, Nagar, & Levav, 2015). Psychiatric nurses have the education and the experience to be pivotal members of the interdisciplinary team, positioned to work against societal stigma and to convey positive attitudes toward people experiencing mental illness (Happell & Gaskins, 2012).