OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of social skills training in leprosy patients to raise self-esteem and reduce self-perceived stigma.
DESIGN: Five leprosy patients were given 10 day-long group-sessions of social skills training over 3 weeks. Training involved: identification of the emotions and concerns of patients when interacting socially; analysis of positive and negative social interactions and non-verbal and verbal skills training. Role-plays, videos and live models were used. Self-esteem and a reduction in self-perceived stigma were assessed qualitatively before and after training using semi-structured interviews. Assessment of change was scored under the indicators: self-perception, family, wider community and job. Patients were assessed for displaying new ways of interacting with people and changes in expectations for the future.
RESULTS: Qualitative analysis of the interviews before and after training suggested that social skills training could raise the self-esteem of leprosy patients and combat self-perceived stigma. Increase in self-esteem, as evident through the verbal interactions with the interviewers and behavioural changes in the community, were noted in the majority of patients.
CONCLUSION: Social skills training along with counseling may be able to increase the self-esteem of leprosy patients, and so be a useful part of leprosy rehabilitation schemes to try and combat the stigma of leprosy.
BT - Leprosy review C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22655473?dopt=Abstract C2 - UK CN - AUGUSTINE 2012 CY - Colchester DA - 2012 Mar IS - 1 J2 - Lepr Rev LA - eng N2 -OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of social skills training in leprosy patients to raise self-esteem and reduce self-perceived stigma.
DESIGN: Five leprosy patients were given 10 day-long group-sessions of social skills training over 3 weeks. Training involved: identification of the emotions and concerns of patients when interacting socially; analysis of positive and negative social interactions and non-verbal and verbal skills training. Role-plays, videos and live models were used. Self-esteem and a reduction in self-perceived stigma were assessed qualitatively before and after training using semi-structured interviews. Assessment of change was scored under the indicators: self-perception, family, wider community and job. Patients were assessed for displaying new ways of interacting with people and changes in expectations for the future.
RESULTS: Qualitative analysis of the interviews before and after training suggested that social skills training could raise the self-esteem of leprosy patients and combat self-perceived stigma. Increase in self-esteem, as evident through the verbal interactions with the interviewers and behavioural changes in the community, were noted in the majority of patients.
CONCLUSION: Social skills training along with counseling may be able to increase the self-esteem of leprosy patients, and so be a useful part of leprosy rehabilitation schemes to try and combat the stigma of leprosy.
PB - LEPRA Health in Action PP - Colchester PY - 2012 SP - 80 EP - 92 T2 - Leprosy review TI - Effectiveness of social skills training for reduction of self-perceived stigma in leprosy patients in rural India--a preliminary study. UR - https://leprosyreview.org/article/83/1/08-0092 VL - 83 SN - 0305-7518 ER -