https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764019850204 International Journal of Social Psychiatry 1–7 © The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/0020764019850204 journals.sagepub.com/home/isp E CAMDEN SCHIZOPH Introduction Stigma has a substantial impact on various facets of life for people with mental illness. A large body of literature focuses on public stigma and its reduction, but much has discounted internalized stigma and the role it plays in the lives of indi- viduals with psychosis. Internalized stigma (also referred to as personal stigma or self-stigma) is defined as the endorse- ment and internalization of negative stereotypes and preju- dices associated with mental illness in persons with mental health conditions (Corrigan & Watson, 2002). Prevalence rates for internalized stigma for people with mental illness vary and are difficult to compare due to inconsistencies in metrics used and populations assessed (Link, Yang, Phelan, & Collins, 2004). International prevalence rates of internalized stigma for individuals with psychosis range from 18.8% to 44.2% (Drapalski et al., 2013; Lv, Wolf, & Wang, 2013; Mosanya, Adelufosi, Adebowale, Ogunwale, & Adebayo, 2014; Werner, Aviv, & Barak, 2008), and within Europe, 33% to 41.7% of patients with psychosis have moderate-to-high levels of internalized stigma (Brohan, Elgie, Sartorius, & Thornicroft, 2010; Krajewski, Burazeri, & Brand, 2013). Research indicates that prevalence rates of internalized stigma can be greater in patients living with psychosis than in patients with non-psychotic mental illness (Lien et al., 2015). While a recent study found no significant variance between internalized stigma levels and various demographic variables in patients with psychosis (Vrbová et al., 2015), one systematic review detected marginal associations among patient sociodemographic variables and levels of internalized stigma, reporting a significant Correlates of internalized stigma levels in people with psychosis in the Czech Republic Aneta Alexová 1,2 , Anna Kågström 1 , Petr Winkler 1,3 , Lucie Kondrátová 1 and Miroslava Janoušková 1 Abstract Background: Internalized stigma negatively affects lives and prognosis of individuals with psychosis. Aim: This study aimed to identify correlates of internalized stigma among individuals with psychosis in a sample of community care users in the Czech Republic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 133 community service users with psychosis. A shortened version of the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI-10) scale was used alongside the 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ- 5D-5L), assessing health-related quality of life. Descriptive and linear regression analyses were performed in order to determine levels of internalized stigma and its correlates. Results: High levels of internalized stigma were reported in 25% of participants. Lower internalized stigma levels were associated with better self-reported health status and being married, and higher internalized stigma with a longer period of time since initial contact with psychiatric care. Conclusion: Lower internalized stigma levels are associated with better self-reported health-related quality of life. In addition, clients having used psychiatric care for longer periods of time reported significantly higher internalized stigma levels. Therefore, authors suggest self-stigma reduction interventions based in a community setting with an emphasis on targeting clients with chronic psychosis. Keywords Internalized stigma, correlates, psychosis, community care setting, CZEPOS 1 National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic 2 Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic 3 Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK Corresponding author: Lucie Kondrátová, Department of Social Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67 Klecany, Czech Republic. Email: lucie.kondratova@nudz.cz 850204ISP 0 0 10.1177/0020764019850204International Journal of Social PsychiatryAlexová et al. research-article 2019 Original Article