Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Jun 19, 2023; 13(6): 298-318
Published online Jun 19, 2023. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v13.i6.298
Psychiatrists’ occupational stigma conceptualization, measurement, and intervention: A literature review
Xiao-Li Shi, Lu-Yao Li, Zhi-Guang Fan
Xiao-Li Shi, Lu-Yao Li, Zhi-Guang Fan, School of Education, Jilin International Studies University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
Author contributions: Shi XL wrote the article and conducted the literature analysis; Li LY contributed to the data collection and approved the final version of the article; Fan ZG contributed to the article framework guidance and revision.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Zhi-Guang Fan, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Education, Jilin International Studies University, 3658 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province 130117, China. fanyqm@126.com
Received: January 28, 2023
Peer-review started: January 28, 2023
First decision: March 24, 2023
Revised: April 5, 2023
Accepted: May 11, 2023
Article in press: May 11, 2023
Published online: June 19, 2023
Processing time: 142 Days and 1.7 Hours
Abstract

Psychiatrists require frequent contact with and treatment of patients with mental illnesses. Due to the influence of associative stigma, psychiatrists may also be targets of stigma. Occupational stigma warrants special consideration because it significantly affects psychiatrists' career advancement, well-being, and their patients’ health. Given that there is no complete summary of this issue, this study reviewed the existing literature on psychiatrists' occupational stigma to clearly synthesize its concepts, measurement tools, and intervention strategies. Herein, we emphasize that psychiatrists’ occupational stigma is a multifaceted concept that simultaneously encompasses physically, socially, and morally tainted aspects. Currently, standardized methods to specifically measure psychiatrists’ occupational stigma are lacking. Interventions for psychiatrists’ occupational stigma may consider the use of protest, contact, education, comprehensive and systematic methods, as well as the use of psychotherapeutic approaches. This review provides a theoretical basis for the development of relevant measurement tools and intervention practices. Overall, this review seeks to raise public awareness of psychiatrists' occupational stigma, thereby promoting psychiatric professionalism and reducing its stigma.

Keywords: Psychiatrists; Occupational stigma; Conceptualization; Measurement; Intervention; Associative stigma

Core Tip: Psychiatrists’ occupational stigma, an area that is little noticed, deserves more attention from the public and professionals considering its negative effects. This study aimed to elucidate its concept, explore the potential measurement tools, and focus on effective interventions by comprehensively reviewing related literature. It is expected to encourage more studies in this field.