Physical Stigma Research Articles

Right ovarian Endodermal sinus tumor and left ovarian Gonadoblastoma in a young female of Turner’s syndrome: a case report.

Gonadal dysgenesis includes variety of clinical condition due to abnormalities of sex chromosomes. The most frequent of this condition is Turner’s syndrome, affecting 1 in every 2000 to 2500 live births. Gonadoblastoma is a benign lesion mostly detected in individuals with dysgenetic gonads with Y chromosome and has potential for malignant transformation; or may be associated with malignant germ cell tumors, most commonly dysgerminoma or occasionally immature teratoma, endodermal sinus tumor, embryonal carcinoma, or choriocarcinoma. We report a 22-year-old girl with primary amenorrhea and physical stigmas of Turner’s syndrome presented with huge abdominopelvic mass and abdominal pain. She underwent laparotomy with TAH with BSO with appendectomy with omentectomy with resection of portion of terminal ileum with ileoileal anastomosis with resection of sigmoid colon with colorectal anastomosis and right pelvic lymph node dissection. Patient had anastomotic site leak with sepsis with multi organ dysfunction syndrome and could not be revived. Final histopathology was consistent with endodermal sinus tumor in right ovary and gonadoblastoma in left ovary. Her karyotype analysis revealed 45, X0. Endodermal sinus tumor is a highly malignant gem cell tumor with poor prognosis. Gonadoblastoma associated with endodermal sinus tumor in Turner’s syndrome is very rare and challenging for the clinical management.

Medulloblastoma and Down Syndrome: An Extremely Rare Association.

Medulloblastoma has a reduced incidence in Down syndrome (DS). This protective characteristic has not been clarified yet. Here, we report the second case of SHH medulloblastoma and DS documented in the literature. A complete surgery was performed followed by reduced craniospinal irradiation dose and adjuvant chemotherapy. No evidence of tumor recurrence was observed. The overall survival was 9.1 years. No family history or physical stigma of other hereditary predisposition syndrome was found. In the elucidation of this extremely rare association, future case reports play an important role in defining the spectrum of brain tumors and their peculiar features in DS.

Choosing from the citizens’ toolbox: disability activists as political candidates in Indonesia’s 2019 general elections

In this paper, we explore the interaction between unconventional and conventional political participation of electoral candidates with disability who competed in Indonesia’s 2019 general elections. Interviews with electoral candidates highlight that their reasons for entering the electoral race, and strategies adopted over the course of their campaigns, were shaped by their prior involvement in the disability rights movement. This connection between activism and electoral engagement demonstrates how the disability rights movement shaped political candidates’ selection and use of political participation tools. The significance of these findings has bearing for others seeking to understand the political behaviour of people with disability. In particular, it illustrates that community building based on unconventional political participation can positively influence the participation of people with disability in conventional politics despite ongoing challenges posed by accessibility, public perceptions of disability, and access to resources. Points of interest The 2019 election was the first national legislative election to be held after Indonesia’s new disability law was passed in 2016, and many more people with a disability competed than in it compared to previous elections. Most candidates who ran did not have any previous experience running for public office, but the majority did have experience with disability activism. Candidates were motivated to run for office to build on the previous successes of the disability movement, to make sure people with disability had a voice within parliament and to use the electoral campaign to raise awareness about disability rights within the community. Candidates with a disability struggled with physical accessibility, social stigma, and costs during campaigning. Ultimately, it was the skills, networks and resources that candidates previously acquired through their links with the disability movement that helped them to negotiate these limitations.

The influence of facial stigma and physical attractiveness on the impressions formation about person

When a person is perceived, the impression of a person is formed as a result of processing a multitude of signs (features of the face). A significant part of these signals has been studied in sufficient detail, but information on how they interact with each other is not enough. The study is aimed at studying the mechanism of impression formation as a result of the perception of two signals having the opposite effect: physical attractiveness and stigma of disembryogenesis (orbital hypertelorism, manifested in increasing the distance between the inner corners of the eyes). Physical attractiveness enhances a positive impression, while facial stigma contributes to a negative opinion of the person. We expected that the impression will depend on the interaction of the signals with each other. In the experiment, participants (200 people) made judgments about three groups of variables: personality traits, the degree of desired interpersonal proximity, the reliability of a person (danger and potential criminality). To identify the interaction of signals, the division of the photoimage into two parts was used. This technique makes it difficult for the holistic perception of the face, weakening the influence of facial signals. Meaning, changes in the eye area have less impact on the overall impression because the upper and lower halves of the face are perceived separately. The hypothesis was confirmed for social judgments about the reliability of a person. For physically attractive individuals, the violation of continuty contributed to an increase in the attributed likelihood of committing murder and fraud, for physically unattractive a decrease in the perceived danger and the possibility degree of committing fraudulent activities. While perceiving the face of another person, the subject of perception forms a holistic impression in which the initial pieces of information are integrated depending on their weight, for example, a strong signal eliminates a weak one. Obtained results shows that physical attractiveness weakens the influence of dysembryogenesis stigma on the evaluation of potential criminality, forming a positive bias.

Profile of functionality of persons affected by leprosy

Objective: to analyze the functioning and disability profile of persons affected by leprosy. Methods: a quantitative study, carried out with 43 people in six reference units with support groups for self-care in leprosy. A sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule instrument were used. The analyses used descriptive statistics, the chi-square test of adjustment adequacy for categorical variables, binomial and Mann-Whitney. Results: the median (interquartile range) in the Participation, Mobility, Cognition and Life Activities domains were 37.5 (20.8-54.2), 25.0 (6.3-56.3), 20.0 (0.0-40.0) and 10.0 (0.0-40.0), respectively, representing the impact of the disease in these domains. Conclusion: the functionality scores were higher in the Participation and Mobility domains, reflecting physical disabilities, discrimination and stigma in the lives of people affected by leprosy.

Internalised HIV-related stigma associated with physical inactivity in people with HIV and AIDS: A cross-sectional study from Uganda

Aim: The aim of the current study was to explore correlations between continuous physical activity (PA) levels and HIV-related stigma and differences in HIV-related stigma between those who meet versus those who do not meet the international PA recommendation of 150 min of PA per week at moderate intensity. Methods: 295 people living with HIV (PLHIV) (median [interquartile range] age = 37.0 [16.0]; 67.8% [n = 200] female) from central Uganda completed the Internalised AIDS-Related Stigma Scale (IA-RSS), Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Physical Activity Vital Sign (PAVS). Results: There was a significant correlation between the PAVS and IA-RSS scores correcting for GAD-7, PHQ-9 and AUDIT scores (r = −0.15, p = 0.009). The IA-RSS score was also significantly different between those meeting versus not meeting PA guidelines. Conclusions: Our data demonstrate that higher internalised HIV-related stigma is associated with lower levels of physical activity. The current evidence demonstrates the need to explore whether HIV stigma-reduction interventions could improve physical activity participation and consequently physical and mental health outcomes in PLHIV.

Is It “Aging” or Immunosenescence? The COVID-19 Biopsychosocial Risk Factors Aggravating Immunosenescence as Another Risk Factor of the Morbus. A Developmental-clinical Social Work Perspective

ABSTRACT COVID-19 has proliferated ageism. The impetus of this article is to show that immunosenescence is a risk factor to COVID-19 and not aging per se. Based on the idea that some older people are also healthier than younger ones, the emphasis of this article is on immunosenescence and not aging as a risk factor of COVID-19 complications. The paper utilizes a biopsychosocial approach to expound on the link between immunosenescence and COVID-19 risk factors. The article explores biological factors such as malnutrition, comorbidities, substance abuse, and sex. It also expands on psychosocial factors such as mental health disorders, homelessness, unemployment, lack of physical exercises, stigma, and discrimination. The article calls for gerontological social work to assume a developmental-clinical social work perspective to prevent the early onset and progression of immunosenescence. It calls for gerontological social work to prevent factors that promote unhealthy aging. The article promotes a preventative stance to practice and not just curative approaches. Treatment involves primary prevention which emphasizes on avoiding the onset of unhealthy aging. It is this approach that gerontological social work should aim also to address in building resilience in the face of pandemics.

Bridging the gap between diabetes care and mental health: perspectives of the Mental health IN DiabeteS Optimal Health Program (MINDS OHP)

BackgroundMental health problems are highly prevalent in people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), which adversely impact physical health and quality of life. This study aimed to explore the experiences of people with T1DM who had completed the Mental health IN DiabeteS Optimal Health Program (MINDS OHP), a novel intervention developed to bridge the gap between physical and mental health care.Method Participants with T1DM were invited to take part in a focus group or semi-structured interviews. Participants were recruited from outpatient and community settings. The focus group and interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was used and identified themes were cross-validated by researchers and member-checked by participants.ResultsTen people with T1DM were included. Two key themes emerged: ‘MINDS OHP experiences’ and ‘lived experiences of diabetes’. MINDS OHP experiences included five sub-themes: program benefits, follow-up and timing, suggested improvements, collaborative partners, and materials suitability. Lived experiences also included five sub-themes: bridging the gap between mental and physical health, support networks, stigma and shame, management intrusiveness, and adolescence and critical life points.ConclusionsThe MINDS OHP for people with T1DM was generally well received, though study findings suggest a number of improvements could be made to the program, such as including family members, and consideration being given to its routine early inclusion in diabetes management, ideally in primary care.

Vitiligo on YouTube: A cross-sectional analysis

Vitiligo on YouTube: A cross-sectional analysis

Digital stigma coping strategies: A meta-analytic review of the association between health-related stigma dimensions and social support messages shared online

Although stigma is widely accepted to be a multidimensional construct, the implications of its dimensions for social support warrant greater consideration. We conducted a meta-analysis of 31 content analyses to investigate the association between specific dimensions of stigma and the types of social support messages shared in health-related contexts online. Among health conditions where character stigma was greater, information, network, and tangible support were more prevalent. Physical stigma was associated with a higher prevalence of esteem support. Information, emotional, network, and tangible support were more prevalent among health conditions where concealable stigma was greater. Among health conditions where visible stigma was greater, information, and esteem support were more prevalent. Our study contributes to stigma and social support research by providing evidence that health-related stigma has multiple dimensions each with distinct implications for social support. More broadly, this project offers a framework that can be used to examine the ways in which social meanings of health conditions may be translated into digital behavior.

Anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideations among patients with dermatological problems

BACKGROUND: High comorbidity is seen in psychiatric illness and dermatological problems ranging between 21% and 43%, which could be due to cosmetic impact/body image perception/disfigurement due to disease per se; majority of the cases go undetected due to overshadowing of mental illness by physical ailment, stigma, or improper assessment. The present research attempted to evaluate the comorbidity of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideations among dermatological conditions METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study with consecutive sampling was conducted in the outpatient department of a dermatology clinic. The Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder- 7) was used to assess the presence of psychiatric symptoms in these patients. RESULTS: A total of 1076 patients were included in the study, with age ranging between 10 and 82 years. Females had significantly more depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among individuals suffering from dermatitis. Males had significantly more anxiety among individuals suffering from lichen simplex chronicus. Females had significantly more depression and suicidal ideation among individuals suffering from hair disorders. Overall, 22% of individuals had suicidal ideation, of which 4.2% had active suicidal ideations. CONCLUSION: Significant active suicidal ideations were observed among individual dermatological conditions. Female reported having more depressive symptoms with no gender difference in anxiety disorder.

The long-term effects of childhood financial hardship mediated by physical abuse, shame, and stigma on depression in women

Le difficolta finanziare hanno varie consequenze sui bambini nel lungo-termine. Questo studio esplora se queste aumentino il rischio di depressione e altre difficolta finanziare nel corso della vita e i meccanismi attraverso i quali cio avvenga, inclusi l’associazione con abuso e conseguenze quali stigma e vergogna. La path analysis e stata utilizzata per valutare se le difficolta finanziare infantili predicano difficolta finanziare una volta adulti e depres-sione, se queste associazioni sono mediate da sentimenti di vergogna durante l’infanzia, abuso fisico e stigma e se lo stigma e l’abuso fisico medino la relazione tra difficolta finan-ziare e sentimenti di vergogna e risultati nella vita adulta retrospettivamente in un campione generale di donne. Questo studio ha trovato che le difficolta finanziare infantili/adulte predi-cono la depressione adulta e i loro effetti sono mediati da abuso fisico, stigma e vergogna. L’abuso fisico e la vergogna mediano anche la relazione tra le difficolta finanziare infanti-li/adolescenziali e quelle adulte. Focalizzarsi sui sentimenti di vergogna potrebbe quindi es-sere un obiettivo chiave degli interventi di supporto per famiglie con vissuti di difficolta economiche e abuso fisico nei bambini a essi associati.

Stigma doesn\u2019t discriminate: physical and mental health and stigma in Canadian military personnel and Canadian civilians

BackgroundIllness-related stigma has been identified as an important public health concern. Past research suggests there is a disproportionate risk of mental-health stigma in the military, but this same finding has not yet been established for physical-health stigma. The current study aimed to assess the independent contribution of mental and physical health on both enacted stigma (discriminatory behaviour) and felt stigma (feelings of embarrassment) and to determine whether these associations were stronger for military personnel than civilians.MethodsData were obtained from the 2002 Canadian Community Health Survey - Mental Health and Well-being and its corresponding Canadian Forces Supplement. Logistic regressions were used to examine a potential interaction between population (military [N = 1900] versus civilian [N = 2960]), mental health, and physical health in predicting both enacted and felt stigma, with adjustments made for socio-demographic information, mental health characteristics, and disability.ResultsMental health did not predict enacted or felt stigma as a main effect nor in an interaction. There was a strong link between physical health and enacted and felt stigma, where worse physical health was associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing both facets of stigma. The link between physical health and enacted stigma was significantly stronger for military personnel than for civilians.ConclusionsPhysical health stigma appears to be present for both civilians and military personnel, but more so for military personnel. Elements of military culture (e.g., the way care is sought, culture of toughness, strict fitness requirements) as well as the physical demands of the job could be potential predictors of group differences.

Quality of Life Family Stigma and Impact of Stigma among the Siblings of Individuals with Intellectual Disability

Background: The persons with a disability might experience the strongest effect both in physical limitation and social stigma. However, the impact of disability is also experienced by those who live with him including parents, grandparents and siblings. The research has shown that parents of a child with the intellectual disability (ID) experience impact of disability on social, personal and economic areas. Objective: To ascertain the quality of life, stigma and impact of stigma among siblings of children with intellectual disability. Sample: The study sampled 45 normal siblings of individuals with intellectual disability studying in a special school (equally from mild, moderate and severe) with either sex between 14-18 years of age after taking informed consent of their legal representative. Design : A cross-sectional institutional based study with purposive sampling technique was done. Tool: WHO quality of life-brief scale, family stigma scale, stigma impact scale was used to assess QoL, family stigma and stigma impact respectively. Results: In the present study siblings with intellectual disability have a better quality of life low level of stigma experience and obvious minimal impact of stigma on their life. The level of severity of siblings’ disability has no influence on the study variables. In socio-demographic correlations education, religion, family types, domicile has a significant level of correlations with some of the study variables. Conclusion: The present study gave siblings’ perspective on stigma which showed deviation from parents’ reports. Keywords: Intellectual disability, siblings, stigma, quality of life

KONSTRUKSI SELF DALAM EKSPRESI BAHASA GENDER: Kajian Harmoni Sosial dalam Perspektif Hermeneutika

The gain of social status, level of education, and economic power by women has altered interactional strategies between men and women. To understand the fundamental concept of I and you both men and women negotiate between self and others. The purpose of this research is to investigate the construction of self in the expressions used by men and women which includes (1) the creation of harmonious self in the expressions of men and women (2) the strategies of defining harmonious situation in the language used by both gender. This study employs the theory of impression management as part of Goffman’s dramaturgical theory of symbolic interactionism. The findings show that (1) the creation of self in the language used by both gender is realized in linguistic and pragmatic forms, (2) the strategies of defining harmonious situation are conducted by women through the validity of self-concept, demonstration of group membership, social distance, and physical stigma.

The multidimensional nature of HIV stigma: evidence from Mozambique

HIV stigma continues to be a major challenge to addressing HIV/AIDS in various countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Mozambique. This paper explores the multidimensional nature of HIV stigma through the thematic analysis of five qualitative studies conducted in high HIV prevalence provinces in Mozambique between 2009 and 2012. These studies included 23 interviews with people living with HIV (PLHIV) (10 women and 13 men); 6 focus groups with 32 peer educators (24 women and 8 men) working for community-based organisations (CBOs) providing services to PLHIV; 17 focus groups with community members (72 men and 70 women); 6 interviews (4 women and 2 men) with people who had family members living with HIV/AIDS; 24 focus groups (12 with men and 12 with women) and 6 interviews with couples. Our findings indicate that HIV stigma is a barrier to HIV testing and counselling, status disclosure, partner notification, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) access and adherence, and that moral stigma seems to be more common than physical stigma. Additionally, the findings highlight that HIV stigma is a dynamic social process that is conceptualised as being tied to personal responsibility. To effectively diminish HIV stigma in Mozambique, future interventions should address moral stigma and re-conceptualise HIV as a chronic disease.

Beyond the Dichotomy: Modernizing Stigma Categorization.

Even though our knowledge of the cause of disease and disability has grown, stigma still exists. Weiner, Perry, and Magnusson's seminal study on attributions of stigma has been cited over 500 times since its publication in 1988. The current research sought to replicate and expand this literature in two studies. We used the 10 stigmas from the original study and we added six more (representing common psychological and physical stigmas). In the first study, we examined the classification of stigmas using cluster analysis. We found that instead of dichotomizing stigmas into either psychological or physical, attributions of controllability and stability together resulted in four distinct clusters. Although these were mostly consistent with past literature, the fourth cluster included both psychological and physical stigmas and was rated as moderately controllable and moderately stable. In the second study, we examined how information about responsibility shifts causal attributions, emotional responses, and helping behaviors. Information that an individual was responsible for their stigma led to greater attributions of controllability, less positive emotions, and less help compared to information that an individual was not responsible. More interestingly, the no-information control condition was similar to the responsibility information condition for stigmas that fell into the controllable clusters whereas the control condition was similar to the not responsible information condition for stigmas that fell into the uncontrollable clusters. While parsimony is valued, the psychological/physical dichotomy is not nuanced enough to fully capture the variation in stigmas, which in turn has implications for future research on stigma reduction.

Badge of dishonor: Jewish Badges in medieval Europe

The purpose of this study was to examine how medieval authorities legislated and enforced the wearing of the Jewish badge, a patch of fabric Jews were required to wear to visually identify themselves as distinct from, and less than, Christians. While most clothing communicates encoded or vague messages, in this case both wearers and observers understood the explicit message of the wearer's Judaism, as well as the coded connotations that Jews were inferior and deserving of stigmatisation. This study documented the Jewish badge, including the physical stigma symbol itself, the negative concepts the badges communicated, and the consequences of this communication. Additionally, comparisons were drawn between the discriminatory laws of medieval Europe and those of Nazi-occupied Europe. This study explored fashion as a form of non-verbal communication by examining the use of Jewish badges as a tool of oppression.

Trading and Managing Stigma

Despite the popularity of cosmetic surgery and a decrease in medical risks associated with breast implant surgeries, there remains both social and cultural stigma attached to those who undergo the procedure. Although a variety of perspectives have been examined in research on cosmetic surgeries, sociological attention toward stigma and cosmetic surgery is underdeveloped. Through in-depth interviews of twenty women with breast implants, I explore stigma as it manifests in women’s accounts of breast implant surgery experiences, both pre and post surgery. Aligning with Goffman’s concept of stigma, for the study participants, breast implant surgery represents a motivation for reducing visibility of a physical stigma, and a consequence of making a stigmatized choice leading to character blemishes and tribal stigma. As they confront new stigmas post cosmetic surgery, women with breast implants engage in various stigma management strategies.

Exploring HIV-Related Stigma in Kerala, India

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand whether HIV-positive persons experience stigma in relation to HIV/AIDS and how it has impacted their lives and that of their families. Ethnographic techniques were used to collect data from Kerala, India. The findings were organized into three themes: (a) physical appearance and HIV-related stigma; (b) the “informed” and the “ignorant”: knowledge and ignorance in the context of HIV/AIDS; and (c) immorality as a perceived cause of HIV infection and the family context. The study highlighted the need to develop a more nuanced understanding of HIV-related stigma that extends beyond the current conceptualization of stigma