Yu-Hui Ku
Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Title: The Experiences of Using Group Therapy among People Living with Schizophrenia in Day Care of Southern Taiwan Hospital
Biography
Biography: Yu-Hui Ku
Abstract
Stigma started to pay attention in worldwide after the new DSM-V published. Stigma was constructed from social environment and family perspectives. According to literature review, few studies had group intervention to reduce stigma for patients with schizophrenia. However, no studies were found in Taiwan. Our purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of the group therapy among people with schizophrenia in day care of southern Taiwan hospital. This study used group therapy in order to reduce stigma among people with schizophrenia in day care of southern Taiwan hospital. Eight participants were recruited after selecting by psychiatrists. This group therapy developed by the psychiatric nursing practitioner and psychologist lasted nine sessions. The group intervention consisted of introduction, psychoeducation about schizophrenia and stigma, sharing with others about stigma experiences, teaching cognitive behavior therapy, playing psychodrama and countering experienced stigma and self-perspectives feedback. The collected data was analyzed by thematic analysis. Four core themes were explicated from the data analysis: "Perceptions of external stigma", "Perceptions of internalize stigma", "Unable to escape from the shackles" and "Toward beautiful sunlight". According to the finding, group therapy was effective in reducing self-stigma among people with schizophrenia in day care of southern Hospital in Taiwan. The findings could be utilized to nursing staffs in caring with patients with schizophrenia in day care or to nursing educators at school.