Publication
Title
Out of the silos : identifying cross-cutting features of health-related stigma to advance measurement and intervention
Author
Abstract
Background Many health conditions perceived to be contagious, dangerous or incurable, or resulting in clearly visible signs, share a common attribute an association with stigma and discrimination. While the etiology of stigma may differ between conditions and, sometimes, cultural settings, the manifestations and psychosocial consequences of stigma and discrimination are remarkably similar. However, the vast majority of studies measuring stigma or addressing stigma through interventions employ a disease-specific approach. Main body The current paper opposes this siloed approach and advocates a generic concept of health-related stigma in both stigma measurement and stigma interventions. Employing a conceptual model adapted from Weiss, the current paper demonstrates the commonalities among several major stigmatized conditions by examining how several stigma measurement instruments, such as the Social Distance Scale, Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue, Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness, and Berger stigma scale, and stigma reduction interventions, such as information-based approaches, contact with affected persons, (peer) counselling, and skills building and empowerment, were used successfully across a variety of conditions to measure or address stigma. The results demonstrate that health-related stigma is a viable concept with clearly identifiable characteristics that are similar across a variety of stigmatized health conditions in very diverse cultures. Conclusion A more generic approach to the study of health-related stigma opens up important practical opportunities cross-cutting measurement and intervention tools are resource saving and easier to use for personnel working with multiple conditions, allow for comparison between conditions, and recognize the intersectionality of many types of stigma. Further research is needed to build additional evidence demonstrating the advantages and effectiveness of cross-condition approaches to stigma measurement and interventions.
Language
English
Source (journal)
BMC medicine. - London
Publication
London : 2019
ISSN
1741-7015
DOI
10.1186/S12916-018-1245-X
Volume/pages
17 (2019) , p. 1-17
Article Reference
13
ISI
000459069200001
Pubmed ID
30764817
Medium
E-only publicatie
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Towards a health-enabling working environment: developing and testing interventions to decrease HIV- and TB-stigma among healthcare workers in the Free State Province, South Africa.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 25.02.2019
Last edited 02.10.2024
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