Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Qualitative Research

Introduction: Stigma and discrimination can have profound impacts on quality of life, health, employment, and access to care. Intersectional experiences of stigma have been under researched. The “Women marginalised by mental health, disability, or refugee background" project engaged 35 participants who identified as women to learn about their intersectional experiences of stigma and discrimination as a result of mental illness/distress, disability or a refugee background.
Methods: An intersectional lens was employed, using body mapping (arts-based research method) paired with semi-structured interviews to generate data. Lived experience knowledge was core to project formation and operation, with a Lived Experience Advisory Group, and lived experience researchers co-facilitating data collection and reflexive thematic analysis.
Results: This presentation will explore project findings regarding the experience and impact of self-stigma. The project found that intersectional experiences of stigma and discrimination exist on a spectrum ranging from the subtle, the casual, the systemic, to the overt. Regardless of their severity, these experiences almost aways result in self-stigma – internalised feelings of shame or disgust. The impacts of self-stigma are complex and diffuse and shape the way participants understand their identity, relationships, and their place in their family and community.
Conclusion: Regardless of where it falls on this spectrum, intersectional stigma and discrimination (and subsequent expressions of self-stigma) can have a profound impact; making participants feel unable to seek help for their health, compounding their mental and physical health challenges; preventing them from leaving unsafe domestic situations. However, self-care, and resilience can mitigate these negative impacts.
Impact: We anticipate this research will support improved health and social service provision for women impacted by stigma due to mental distress, disability or refugee background. The reflections and experiences shared by participants offer a nuanced view of the impacts of stigma and their implications for help seeking and safety.