The relationship of self-stigmatization and self-compassion with psychological well-being in individuals with bipolar disorder

Aim: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between self-stigma of seeking psychological help and self-compassion and psychological well-being in individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Material and method: This descriptive and relational study was conducted with 121 individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the adult psychiatry outpatient clinic of Inonu University Turgut Ozal Medical Center and the adult psychiatry outpatient clinic of Malatya Battalgazi State Hospital between January 2024 and February 2025. Data were collected using the Sociodemographic and Clinical Information Form, Self-Stigma of Seeking Psychological Help Scale, Self Compassion Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scale. Independent samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance were used to evaluate the data, and post hoc Bonferroni tests were applied when significant differences were found. Pearson correlation, mediation and path analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships. Results: In this study, the mean scores of Self-Stigma of Seeking Psychological Help Scale, Self Compassion Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scale in individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder were determined as 35.33±7.08, 3.04±1.07, 24.66±7.40, respectively. Statistically significant relationships were determined between the dependent variables in the study (p<0.010). According to the results of the mediation analysis, the negative effect of self-stigma on psychological well-being was found to be statistically significant and 27% of this effect was found to occur indirectly through self-compassion. It was observed that the direct effect was stronger than the indirect effect. Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the critical role of self-compassion and self-stigma in designing interventions to promote psychological well-being in the field of bipolar disorder. Psychiatric nurses and other mental health professionals can support individuals' psychological well-being by integrating self-compassion-enhancing and stigma-coping strategies into their treatment plans. Keywords: Mediation analysis, Bipolar disorder, Self-stigmatization, Self-compassion, Psychological well-being, Psychiatric nursing.