TY - JOUR
AR - PDR-2020-2-102
TI - Humiliation and Injustice: Most Frequent and Most Hurting Stressors in Psychosomatic Patients
AU - Michael , Linden
AU - Natalie , Ida Bülau
AU - Franziska , Kessemeier
AU - Axel , Kobelt
AU - Markus , Bassler
JO - Psychological Disorders and Research
PY - 2020
DA - Mon 24, Aug 2020
SN - 2674-2470
DO - http://dx.doi.org/10.31487/j.PDR.2020.02.02
UR - https://www.sciencerepository.org/humiliation-and-injustice-most-frequent-and-most-hurting-stressors-in_PDR-2020-2-102 
KW - Negative life events, embitterment, shame, anger, psychiatric-psychosomatic rehabilitation, clinical psychology
AB - Background: Injustice and humiliation are negative life events which can raise strong emotions, including
shame, feelings of inferiority and helplessness, embitterment, anger, vindictive feelings and even aggressive
rumination and acting out. This can severely impair not only the affected person but also her or his
environment. Aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and impact of humiliation and injustice in
psychiatric- psychosomatic patients.
Methods: In a semi-structured interview, which followed the outlines of the WHO International
Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF), 102 inpatients from a department of behavioural
medicine were asked about burdens in life. Additionally, patients filled in the “ICD-10 Symptom Rating”,
the “ICF AT 50-Psych”, the “Beck Depression Inventory” and the “HEALTH-49”.
Results: The experience of humiliation was rated as strong or very strong by 70.6% of the patients, being
the most frequent burden, followed by persistent stress (59.9%), and injustice (56.8%). Comparisons
between patients who complained about injustice alone, humiliation alone, injustice and humiliation
combined, and neither injustice or humiliation show that experiences of humiliation and injustice similarly
and significantly impair psychological well-being.
Conclusion: Humiliation and injustice are most frequent and impairing negative life events in psychiatricpsychosomatic patients. They need proper recognition and treatment.