Stigma and state hospital patients.

This study set out to measure the degree of social stigma experienced by discharged mental hospital patients and the extent to which these patients were viewed as a burden by family and friends. Predictors of stigma included social class and demographic factors, posthospital situation, emotional functioning, and use of aftercare facilities. However, available measures were able to account for little of the variance in stigma, and further research is suggested to establish more reliable predictors of mental patient stigmatization.