Cognitive Emotion Regulation and Internalised Stigma Amongst Relatives of Individuals With First‐Episode Psychosis
Büşra Rümeysa Demirel, Gamze Sarıkoç, Aybeniz Civan KahveABSTRACT
Introduction
Family members of individuals experiencing a first‐episode psychosis may experience disruptions in their interpersonal emotion regulation processes during this period, which may in turn lead to internalised stigma.
Methods
A cross‐sectional study was conducted between January 2023 and January 2024 with 101 relatives of patients receiving inpatient treatment for first‐episode psychosis in a state hospital in Türkiye. Data were collected using a sociodemographic form, the Self‐Stigma Inventory for Families of Patients with Schizophrenia and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Group comparisons were performed using Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal‐Wallis H tests. Associations were examined using Spearman's correlation, and linear regression assessed the association between self‐stigma (independent variable) and total cognitive emotion regulation (dependent variable).
Results
Levels of internalised stigma were found to be low; however, they were significantly associated with total cognitive emotion regulation scores ( β = 0.172, p = 0.049). Amongst the maladaptive strategies, self‐blame, catastrophising and blaming others were positively associated with social withdrawal and concealment of the illness, whereas putting events into perspective was negatively associated with perceived worthlessness ( p < 0.05). Differences were observed in certain subscales of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire across some sociodemographic variables; however, no significant differences were identified in the subscales of the Inventory for Families of Patients with Schizophrenia ( p > 0.05).
Conclusions
Maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies are associated with higher internalised stigma and social withdrawal amongst relatives of individuals with first‐episode psychosis. Integrating cognitive emotion regulation assessment into early intervention frameworks may strengthen family‐focused psychosocial support.