Awareness, prevention of transmission, as well as fighting the stigma surrounding the disease, is an essential part of addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. Limited access to care, reluctance in the acceptability of care, appropriatenes of care, and inaffordability of care are among the barriers to HIV prevention. Different studies have been conducted by scholars on strategies to use in A...

This chapter addresses the psychological effects of social stigma. Stigma directly affects the stigmatized via mechanisms of discrimination, expectancy confirmation, and automatic stereotype activation, and indirectly via threats to personal and social identity. We review and organize recent theory and empirical research within an identity threat model of stigma. This model posits that situatio...

The study examined whether the relationships between HIV stigma and depression and anxiety would be mediated by metacognitive beliefs and thought control strategies in men who have sex with men living with HIV. Men who have sex with men living with HIV completed an online survey that measured 30-item Metacognitions Questionnaire, thought control strategies (Thought Control Questionnaire), as we...

Epilepsy is one of the most stigmatizing medical conditions worldwide. It could be argued that the problem of stigma and discrimination might be different in an Islamic culture. A cross-sectional study of 130 patients with epilepsy was performed using the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) questionnaire that was adapted for epilepsy. The questionnaire contained 29 items on a 4-point s...

INTRODUCTION Despite its efficacy and widespread use, methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) continues to be widely stigmatized. Reducing the stigma surrounding MMT will help improve the accessibility, retention, and treatment outcomes in MMT. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 adults undergoing MMT. Thematic content analysis was used to identify overarching themes. RE...

PURPOSE To evaluate the factors, including personality and coping styles, likely to be influential in enhancing the social stigma of epilepsy. METHODS Data were collected from 400 adults with epilepsy recruited from 10 epilepsy centers in Korea. Clinical information about seizures was obtained by neurologists, and other information was collected from self-completed questionnaires, including t...

The objective of this study was to critically review the empirical evidence from all relevant disciplines regarding obesity stigma in order to (i) determine the implications of obesity stigma for healthcare providers and their patients with obesity and (ii) identify strategies to improve care for patients with obesity. We conducted a search of Medline and PsychInfo for all peer-reviewed papers ...

OBJECTIVE Stigma plays a major role in the persistent suffering, disability and economic loss associated with mental illnesses. There is an urgent need to find effective strategies to increase awareness about mental illnesses and reduce stigma and discrimination. This study surveys the existing anti-stigma programmes in South Africa. METHOD The World Health Organization's Assessment Instrumen...

While the "clinical high-risk state" for psychosis has demonstrated good reliability and fair predictive validity for psychotic disorders, over 50% of identified subjects do not progress to psychosis. Despite the benefits that early detection and treatment might offer, debate concerning the official inclusion of a "psychosis risk syndrome" in the upcoming DSM-V frequently involves concerns abou...