Perceived stigma among caregivers of psychiatric disorders as compared to chronic dermatological disorders

Abstract

Background: Literally, stigma “is a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person” which has an impact on the physical, social and emotional health of not just the patient but also their caregivers. There is a paucity of research assessing the prevalence and impact of stigma among the caregivers of these patients. Aim: To assess the perceived stigma among caregivers of psychiatric disorders as compared to chronic dermatological disorders. Materials and Methods: By purposive sampling, 60 patients with psychiatric disorders and 60 chronic dermatological disorders were included in the study with their written informed consent. For diagnosis of psychiatric disorders International Classification of Diseases 10 Diagnostic Criteria for Research criteria was used. The diagnosis of dermatological disorders was made by the dermatologist. Patients with chronic visible dermatological disorders were selected. The caregivers of the patients after informed consent were included in the study. Their sociodemographic proforma was filled, and then Discrimination and stigma scale (DISC) and Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC) stigma scale were applied to the two groups. The scores were analyzed using the SPSS. Results: Caregivers of patients with psychiatric disorders had significantly higher scores compared to caregivers of chronic dermatological disorder patients on the EMIC and DISC scales. Conclusion: Perceived stigma was found to be high in caregivers of both patients of psychiatric disorders and chronic dermatological disorders. It was seen that the stigma was higher in the caregivers of patients with psychiatric disorders.