Background: Mental health disorders affect one in eight people and remain a significant global concern due to stigma, limited access, and treatment noncompliance. Telemedicine has emerged as a promising approach solution, offering reduced stigma and improved patient satisfaction.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between telemedicine use and perceived stigma, satisfaction, and preferences among psychiatric outpatients.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed at three private psychiatric clinics in Jordan, using a convenience sampling method. A total of 120 psychiatric outpatients participated: 61 received telemedicine services and 59 attended in-person consultations. Data were collected using the “Client Satisfaction and Experience Survey for Telepsychiatry Services,” (Arabic version), which includes subscales for perceived stigma (8 items), satisfaction (6 items), and preferences (2 items). Data were collected via self-administered paper-based surveys between January and March 2024. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple regression were used to examine associations, controlling for age, gender, education, and employment.

Results: Telemedicine users reported significantly lower stigma scores (2.50 ± 0.71) than in-person attendees (3.08 ± 0.62, p < 0.001). They also showed higher satisfaction (3.86 ± 0.70 vs. 3.30 ± 0.68) and preference scores (p < 0.05). Gender and education significantly influenced stigma levels (p < 0.05). Gender and education significantly influenced stigma levels after controlling for key sociodemographic variables.

Conclusions: Telemedicine was associated with lower perceived stigma and higher satisfaction in psychiatric outpatient care. However, the cross-sectional design and convenience sampling limit causal inference and generalizability.

Implications for Nursing: Incorporating telemedicine into mental health care can address stigma and improve accessibility, advancing patient-centered service delivery.