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PubMed1996

Dimensions of stigmatization in patients with psoriasis in a "Questionnaire on Experience with Skin Complaints'.

BACKGROUND: Stigmatization is a central experience of patients with psoriasis with a broad psychic and social impact. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to identify the dimensions of stigma experience by a Questionnaire on Experience with Skin Complaints (QES; 'Fragebogen zum Erleben von Hautbeschwerden'). METHODS: 187 in-patients with psoriasis were examined with the QES, an adopted and extended (German) version of the Feeling of Stigmatization Questionnaire by Ginsburg and Link. A factor analysis of the questionnaire was conducted and the construct validity was evaluated. RESULTS: Five factors were found: 'self-esteem', 'retreat', 'rejection', 'composure' and 'concealment'. Self-esteem, retreat and rejection are mainly influenced by 'problematic regions' affected by psoriasis, rejection also by 'visible parts' and retreat also by 'invisible regions'. The influences of age, age at onset and sex on the stigma experience are small but significant. CONCLUSIONS: The QES proved to be an economical and reliable psychometric instrument to differentiate the stigma experience of psoriasis patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Homicidal maniacs and narcissistic parasites: stigmatization of mentally ill persons in the movies.

The portrayal of mentally ill persons in movies and television programs has an important and underestimated influence on public perceptions of their condition and care. Movie stereotypes that contribute to the stigmatization of mentally ill persons include the mental patient as rebellious free spirit, homicidal maniac, seductress, enlightened member of society, narcissistic parasite, and zoo specimen. The authors suggest that mental health professionals can fight this source of stigma by increasing their collaboration with patient advocacy groups in monitoring negative portrayals of mentally ill people, using public information campaigns such as Mental Illness Awareness Week to call attention to the process of stigmatization, and supporting accurate dramatic and documentary depictions of mental illness.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1999

Extent of relational stigmatization of lesbians and their children by heterosexual college students.

Within the judicial and clinical communities, the stigmatization of children with lesbian mothers is often seen as inevitable. Even lesbian mothers themselves often impose secrecy upon their children based on fears that stigmatization will occur. In two studies, college students were asked to indicate how willing they would be to enter into relationships with lesbians and their children. Relational stigma was greater toward lesbians that their children and acceptance decreased as relational closeness increased. However, between 80 and 100 percent of students were willing to be acquaintances, friends, or best friends with children of lesbians. Although there were no sex differences in acceptance of lesbians, women were more willing to engage in relationships with children of lesbians than were men. Persons who believed that homosexuality was caused by environmental factors were less willing than persons with other beliefs to date or marry the child of a lesbian.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Stigmatic spectrometers for extended sources: design with toroidal varied-line-space gratings.

Performances are presented of three classes of imaging slit spectrometers for extended sources with aberration-corrected gratings. A general analytical expression for minimizing off-axis grating aberrations is obtained, and it is demonstrated that these aberrations are minimized when the spectrometer is operated at a magnification higher than unity. Classical designs with toroidal uniform-line-spaced (TULS) or spherical varied-line-space (SVLS) gratings are compared with a new class of designs that utilize toroidal varied-line-space (TVLS) gratings. Although TULS and SVLS designs with two stigmatic points can be designed to operate at near-unity magnification with excellent on-axis spectral and spatial resolutions, they cannot be made to satisfy the general off-axis condition, and so their off-axis performances are not optimum. On the contrary TVLS designs with two stigmatic points can be operated at almost any magnification, thus satisfying the off-axis condition perfectly. Such designs are suitable for imaging spectrometer observations that require an extended field of view.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

A comparison of stigmatizing attitudes toward persons with schizophrenia in four stakeholder groups: perceived likelihood of violence and desire for social distance.

This study compared four stakeholder groups regarding the presence of stigmatizing attitudes toward a hypothetical person diagnosed with schizophrenia. Participants included consumers with schizophrenia (n = 104), family members of those with schizophrenia or other severe mental illness (n = 83), mental health clinicians (n = 85), and members of the general public (n = 59); all participants resided in North Carolina. The purpose of the analyses was to investigate whether mental health stakeholder groups differed from the general public and from each other in terms of key attitudes associated with stigmatization of persons with schizophrenia, that is, perceived likelihood of violent behavior, the desire for social distance, and the causes of the illness. Analysis of variance results with follow-up Scheffé tests indicated no statistically significant differences between the mental health stakeholder groups and members of the general public in the likelihood of violence or the desire for social distance. However, there was more variation between both the mental health stakeholder groups and the general public and within the mental health stakeholder groups in the perceptions of the causes of the mental illness. Throughout the analyses, the consumers tended to have the most negative views of the illness. Implications for future stigma research and education are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Stigmatization of carrier status: social implications of heterozygote genetic screening programs.

Possible latent psychological and social consequences ensuing from genetic screening programs need to be investigated during the planning phase of national genetic screening programs. The relatively few studies which have been performed to determine psychological, social, and economic consequences resulting from a genetic screening program are reviewed. Stigmatization of carrier-status, having major psychosocial implications in heterozygote genetic screening programs, is discussed and related to Erving Goffman's work in the area of stigmatization. Questions are raised regarding the relationship between such variables as religiosity and sex of the individual and acceptance of the status of newly identified carrier of a mutant gene. Severity of the deleterious gene and visibility of the carrier status are two important factors to consider in an estimation of potential stigma. Specific implications are discussed for four genetic diseases: Tay-Sachs, Sickle-Cell Anemia, Huntington's disease and Hemophilia.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗
PubMed1991

The stigmatization of smokers: an empirical investigation.

This study examines the social stigmatization of tobacco smokers, i.e., the extent to which smokers are seen as discredited persons. A representative sample of residents of a major Canadian city was interviewed. Clear evidence of an unfavorable stereotype of smokers was found. The ex-smoker enjoys a positive image, but one which is slightly less favorable than that of someone who has never smoked. A majority of non-smoking respondents preferred non-smokers in roles in which the role incumbents were likely to be in close proximity. Friendship networks and marital relationships tended to be segregated along lines of smoking behavior. Sociodemographic and attitudinal correlates of anti-smoker attitudes are explored. The implications of stigmatization for changing smokers' behavior are examined.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1998

Dimensions and process of stigmatization in leprosy.

Leprosy is a disease which has struck fear into human beings for thousands of years. This is partly because it causes considerable deformities and disabilities. In 1991, the 44th World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to eliminate the disease as a public health problem by the year 2000. However, one of the major obstacles to achieving this objective is the stigma associated with the disease. Stigma against leprosy patients affects all aspects of leprosy control. This paper describes a model of the stigmatization process in leprosy. The process of stigmatization can be divided into two stages. The first stage describes how certain cognitive dimensions of leprosy lead to a variety of affective responses towards the disease. The second stage involves how these affective responses contribute to social devaluation of the leprosy patient and consequently, the adoption of negative behaviours towards them.

Female↗
PubMed1999

The original sin of madness--or how psychiatrists can stigmatize their patients.

A stigma is a mark of infamy or disgrace. People who are stigmatized are subject to abuse and social exclusion. Negative attitudes towards people with mental illness are attributed to stigma. In the literature, stigma is regarded as something that is attached to a person--like a badge or label. This is undermined by two facts. Firstly, it is the person who is regarded as disgraceful, not the illness or diagnosis, and secondly, the diagnosis of mental illness is itself evaluative. Mental illness is by definition bad, so to be diagnosed as mentally ill is to be defined as bad (or somehow wrong). The stigmatization of the mentally ill will not stop until this negative evaluation is removed from diagnosis.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

Step-along vergence procedures in stigmatic and astigmatic systems.

The traditional step-along vergence procedure applies to stigmatic systems, that is, systems that are not astigmatic. Computation is disrupted when a focus coincides with a thin lens or refracting surface. A small change to the procedure results in a modified procedure which overcomes the computational problems. The modified procedure is easier to execute than the traditional procedure and allows one to write down useful equations directly. Among the formulae are those for back-vertex power. A step-along vergence procedure also exists for astigmatic systems. It makes use of the dioptric power matrix and the reduced vergence matrix. Computational problems arise when a point or line focus coincides with a thin lens or refracting surface; however they are not overcome by an analogous modification to the procedure. Nevertheless the modified procedure has some advantages including the fact that, as for stigmatic systems, it allows one to write down useful formulae directly. Stepwise calculations of vergence are sometimes performed backward through a system; the advantages and disadvantages described for step-along procedures holds for such step-back procedures as well.

Astigmatism↗
PubMed1989

Disclosure of stigmatizing conditions: the discloser's perspective.

Stigmatizing conditions such as family violence, AIDS, and herpes contribute to feelings of shame and the wish to conceal or hide. However, those who experience such conditions often need to confide in others and seek help from professionals. This grounded theory study describes the process of disclosure from the perspective of the one with a stigmatizing condition and from the theory that nurses can develop intervention strategies to facilitate disclosure.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1993

Psychiatric stigma and mental health professionals (stigmatizers and destigmatizers).

This article presents a definition of the term psychiatric stigma, its development, dynamics and role in society. The role that psychiatrists have played in the past and are playing in the present is described. The different factors that influence this role are elucidated culturally, professionally and economically. Examples are given of where psychiatrists act as destigmatizers and, on the other hand, as stigmatizers. The article stresses the point that psychiatrists should always be on the alert that in fulfilling their therapeutic role they can either stigmatize more or destigmatize their patients. Consideration should be taken in the overall approach so that the benefits to a patient are always more than his or her losses. Psychiatrists and mental health professionals must constantly be alert to ensure that they are acting in the best interest of the patient.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1997

Cardosin A, an abundant aspartic proteinase, accumulates in protein storage vacuoles in the stigmatic papillae of Cynara cardunculus L.

The function of aspartic proteinases (EC 3.4.23) present in flowers of Cynara species is still unknown. Cardosin A, as a highly abundant aspartic proteinase from Cynara cardunculus L., a relative of the artichoke, is synthesised as a zymogen and subsequently undergoes proteolytic processing, yielding the mature and active enzyme. Here we report the study of the expression and localization of cardosin A, as a first approach to address the question of its physiological relevance. A polyclonal antibody specific for cardosin A was raised against a synthetic peptide corresponding to an amino acid sequence of the enzyme. This antibody was used to study the organ-specific, tissue-specific and subcellular localization of cardosin A by immunoblotting, tissue printing and immunogold electron microscopy. The results showed that expression of cardosin A is highly restricted to the pistils, and that the enzyme accumulates mainly in protein storage vacuoles of the stigmatic papillae. Cardosin A is also present, although much less abundantly, in the vacuoles of the cells of the epidermis of the style. In view of these results, the possible physiological roles of cardosin A are discussed, namely an involvement in defense mechanisms or pollen-pistil interaction, as well as in flower senescence.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2007

Stigmatization of overweight Mexican children.

The present study was designed to determine the weight-based stigmatization of Mexican overweight (OW) and non-OW children by their mothers and peers, who rated both boys and girls with varying physical characteristics. Four hundred and thirty-two fifth and sixth graders and 342 mothers participated in the study. Children were administered a questionnaire displaying six drawings. Participants' responses were numbered in order of preference from 1 to 6 (most to least well liked). Participants were divided into categories based on socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and current body mass index. The majority of children chose the child in a wheelchair as the preferred friend. Boys and girls, Indian and non-Indian, with and without risk of OW chose the obese peer as the least-preferred friend. Non-OW girls and their mothers liked the obese child less than non-OW boys and their mothers. Agreement correlations between mothers and children were rho = 0.19 (P = 0.0001), rho = 0.17 (P = 0.001), and rho = 0.13 (P = 0.02) for the healthy child, child with missing arm, and obese child, respectively. There was a strong correlation between Indian mothers and non-OW daughters (rho = 0.54, P = 0.009) on choosing the drawing of the obese child as the least preferred friend. These data suggest an influential effect of the negative attitude of mothers toward the obese child, which are projected to their children.

Child↗
PubMed1982

Social distance from the stigmatized. A test of two theories.

Attribution of responsibility and disruption of social interaction are two explanations proposed in previous literature for the existence of differential social distance from individuals with various types of stigmas. This paper tests the relative merits of the theories in explaining perceived social distance that individuals in the study expressed from a wide range of stigmatized conditions representing two general stigma types: the disabled and deviants. The research is based on a sample of professionals and managers in key decision making positions. Perceived social distance was measured by a modified Bogardus Scale. Respondents expressed greater social distance from deviants such as alcoholics and drug addicts than from the disabled such as paraplegics and the blind. Little support was found for the contention that attribution of responsibility determines variations in social distance across or within the two major stigma types of disability and deviance. Rather, results suggest that differential rejection stems from the disruption a stigma causes in social interaction.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Attitudes towards people with HIV: are they as stigmatizing as people with HIV perceive them to be?

Stigma is a feature of HIV disease and many people who are HIV-positive report that their lives are affected by fear of discrimination (felt stigma). Although opinions do not necessarily predict behaviour, this article examines whether the public's avowed attitudes to people with HIV are as punitive and stigmatizing as those infected think they are, and the extent to which public attitudes may contribute to felt stigma. A street survey was conducted in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland, asking a stratified quota sample of 300 men and women of all ages to complete a short questionnaire about their attitudes toward people with HIV. The same questionnaire was also completed by 42 men and women with HIV. One in five respondents in the street survey, and all of those with HIV, were also asked to complete the questionnaire imagining that they were a typical member of the public, to find out whether both groups attributed more hostile attitudes to generalized others than they themselves professed. Overall, the general public had relatively liberal views about people with HIV although a majority felt that some restrictions should be placed upon their freedom. Controlling for age, sex, socioeconomic status and city, people with HIV had more liberal attitudes than the general public, but perceived public attitudes to be far less liberal than were reported in the street survey. Respondents in the street survey also perceived generalized others to be less liberal than themselves. These results provide evidence of felt stigma among people with HIV and the policy implications are discussed. The findings are also set within a theoretical framework concerning the nature of attitudes, their relationship to behaviours, and the pervasiveness of negative images associated with AIDS.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Stigmatization, scapegoating and discrimination in sexually transmitted diseases: overcoming 'them' and 'us'.

It is recognized that AIDS involves multiple epidemics. As well as an epidemic of HIV, we are experiencing epidemics of fear and of stigmatization, scapegoating and discrimination associated with AIDS. In this paper, we investigate the nature of these reactions and the links between them. In doing so, we identify some of their causes. We likewise investigate counter-reactions, pre-eminent among which is the promotion of concepts of respect for persons and for human rights. We also examine the 'tools' used to elicit and manifest both these reactions and counter-reactions. In all cases, these 'tools' include choice of language--especially in the form of metaphor and rhetoric--and the use of symbolism. We conclude that in order to deal humanely and compassionately with AIDS and persons with AIDS, and, ultimately, to protect society (including, the fundamental principles and rules on which it is based), a primary requirement is to recognize that we are all living with AIDS, whether infected or affected by it; that is, in the context of AIDS, it is imperative that we overcome any divisions into 'them' and 'us'.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗