Role of Resilience in Burden and Perceived Public Stigma among Primary Caregivers of Psychiatric Patients

The current study intended to find out the role of resilience on perceived public stigma and burden among primary caregivers of the psychiatric patients. The current study highlighted the psychological health of caregivers. A cross sectional study was conducted in region of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. A total of 250 caregivers participated in the study, whom 125 were male and 125 were female caregivers, age range was 25-60 years (M=31.61, SD=5.93). The data was collected from public and private hospitals. Three scales were used for data collection. The resilience was measured through Urdu translated resilience scale, public stigma was assessed by using Urdu version of perceived public stigma, and Burden was measured through interview. The result showed that resilience was negatively associated with burden and perceived public stigma (p< 0.01). Further, the multiple regression showed that resilience acted as moderator between public stigma and burden (? = -1.02, p< .001). The result supported a positive association between public stigma, burden and resilience among caregivers of psychiatric patients.

Public Stigma on Depression Comorbid with Diabetes: A Vignette-Method Study in China

Background: Depression and diabetes are common illnesses affecting individuals with health challenges and family stress. Research suggested stigma-reduction interventions for families facing health-related stressors. This study examined factors predicting public stigma on depression alone or comorbid with diabetes. Methods: In Shanghai, China, consented respondents to a community-based survey read one of four vignettes varied by depression types and gender of the Vignette Subject (VS). This vignette method measures each respondent’s Individualized Public Stigma score, attitude toward the subject’s family with the Devaluation of Consumer’s Families score, and problem seriousness leading to stress. Results: 125 respondents expressed views on depression or diabetes-associated depression via their answers to a randomly assigned vignette. Results show significant associations with Individualized Public Stigma when entering the regression model with five variables: problem seriousness, knowing someone with a mental health problem, subject’s gender, attitude toward the subject’s family, and depression comorbid with diabetes. Regression statistics showed that a person’s Individualized Public Stigma scores could be predicted by two of these variables: perceived problem seriousness and sympathy toward the affected family. Yet, comorbidity with diabetes was not a significant predictor of stigma. Conclusions: This study concludes that the cultural value toward community support could be an educational means to help the public realize the importance of protecting the families affected by mental health stigma. Applying this theory in action, practitioners must assess how self-stigmatization interfaces with the public perception of the patient's family. In addition, when people have a highly sympathetic attitude toward the patient’s family and perceive the presenting problem as severe, they must be aware of the impact of individualized stigma on the patient. Future research must focus on these cultural perspectives to support early anti-stigma interventions.

How Biomarker-Based Diagnosis and Treatment Affect Alzheimer’s Stigma: Results of a Randomized Trial

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes progressive disability and, ultimately, death. Currently no therapy can delay or slow cognitive and functional decline. This prognosis contributes to the general public’s negative reactions—discrimination, pity, and social distance—toward individuals with AD and their families. But what if, using AD biomarker tests, diagnosis was made earlier and treatment was available? Stigma of AD might change. This project aimed to discover how diagnosis and treatment of AD before the onset of cognitive impairment would change public stigma, and how these effects might differ in ethnoracial populations. Comparisons of 12 experimental conditions (i.e., 2 (biomarker test result) x 2 (treatment availability) x 3 (cognitive impairment: none, mild, moderate)) are conducted in two independent samples of self-identified White (N=800) and Black (N=800) Americans. Findings anticipate the translation of the preclinical AD construct into care and will inform public policies and interventions to mitigate public stigma of AD.

Gambaran Stigma Masyrakat Terhadap Pandemi Covid-19 :Literature Review

Covid-19 is a disease caused by a new type of Coronavirus that can infect the respiratory system and transmitted through droplets very quickly, even causing death. The number of Covid-19 cases is increasing every day. It also comes with a lot of unclear information that creates pressure and fear for the public. The fear of Covid-19 causes public stigma on people or places which are associated with the disease. This study aimed to describe several articles about public stigma on the Covid-19 pandemic. The design of this research was a literature review with a descriptive method. The articles were accessed from the Pubmed, Scilit, DOAJ, Garba garuda, database sources with a total sample of 2.918 respondents. The result showed that 28,5% of respondents experience stigma on the Covid-19 pandemic. The incidence of stigma occurred more frequently 32% to the public than to the health workers. In Indonesia, Colombia, Egypt, and India, the stigma will remain vigilant and obey the health protocols durung the Covid-19 pandemic and avoid stigmatizing someone of the enviromentant infected with Covid-19 to avoid someone hiding their health status.Keywords: Covid-19, Pandemic, Stigma AbstrakCovid-19 merupakan penyakit yang disebabkan oleh Coronavirus jenis baru yang dapat menginfeksi sistem pernafasan dan dapat menular melalui droplet dengan sangat cepat, bahkan bisa menyebabkan kematian. Angka kasus Covid-19 yang semakin bertambah setiap hari disertai dengan banyaknya ketidakjelasan informasi yang menimbulkan tekanan dan ketakutan bagi masyarakat. Ketakutan berlebihan terhadap COVID-19 menyebabkan munculnya stigma terhadap orang atau tempat yang berhubungan dengan penyakit tersebut. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menelaah literatur dari beberapa artikel tentang gambaran stigma masyarakat terhadap pandemi Covid-19. Desain penelitian ini adalah literature review dengan metode deskriptif. Dalam pengumpulan data penenelitian mengakses dari sumber database Pubmed, Scilit, DOAJ, Garba garuda. Dengan jumlah sampel 2.918 responden masyarakat umum. Hasil analisa literature review menunjukkan 28,5% responden mengalami stigma terhadap pandemi Covid-19, dan proporsi kejadian stigma lebih mendominasi di mayarakat 32% dibandingkan dengan tenaga kesehatan, serta rata-rata penyebab stigma di Indonesia, Colombia, Mesir dan India yaitu kurangnya pengetahuan masyarakat terhadap Covid-19. Diharapkan masyarakat tetap waspada serta menjalankan protokol kesehatan selama masa pandemi Covid-19 dan menghindari memberi stigma pada seseorang maupun lingkungan yang terinfeksi Covid-19 agar menghindari seseorang menyembunyikan status kesehatannya.Kata kunci: Covid-19, Pandemi, Stigma

Innovative Technology-Based Interventions to Reduce Stigma Toward People With Mental Illness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Stigma towards people with mental illness presents serious consequences for the affected individuals, such as social exclusion and increased difficulties in the recovery process. Recently, several interventions have been developed to mitigate public stigma, based on the use of innovative technologies, such as virtual reality and video games. OBJECTIVE To systematically review, synthesize, measure, and critically discuss experimental studies that measure the effect of technological interventions and on stigmatization levels. METHODS This systematic review and meta-analysis was based on PRISMA guidelines, and included studies in English and Spanish published during the years 2016 and 2021. Searches were run in five different databases (i.e., Pubmed, PsycInfo, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Science Direct). Only randomized controlled trials were included. Two independent reviewers determined the eligibility, extracted data, and rated methodological quality of the studies. Meta-analyses were performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. RESULTS Based on the 1,158 articles screened, 72 articles were evaluated as full text, of which 9 articles were included in the qualitative and quantitative synthesis. A diversity of interventions was observed, including video games, audiovisual simulation of hallucinations, virtual reality, and electronic contact with mental health services users. The meta-analysis (n= 1,832 participants) demonstrated that these interventions had a consistent medium effect on reducing the level of public stigma (d=–0.64 95% CI 0.31-0.96; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Innovative interventions involving the use of technologies are an effective tool in stigma reduction, therefore new challenges are proposed and discussed for the demonstration of their adaptability to different contexts and countries, thus leading to their massification.

Public Stigma of COVID-19 and Its Correlates in the General Population of China

This study aimed to examine the profile of COVID-19-related public stigma and its correlates in the general population of China. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in China from 7 May to 25 May in 2020. A total of 1212 participants from the general population completed the survey measuring their stigmatizing attitudes towards COVID-19, as well as knowledge and causal attributions of COVID-19. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine the correlates of COVID-19-related public stigma. A total of 31.8% of participants endorsed stigmatization towards people with COVID-19. Those who were of older age (t = −3.97, p < 0.001), married (F = 3.04, p < 0.05), had a lower level of education (F = 8.11, p < 0.001), and a serious psychological response (F = 3.76, p < 0.05) reported significantly higher scores of public stigma. Dangerousness (B = 0.047, p < 0.001), fear (B = 0.059, p < 0.001), anger (B = 0.038, p < 0.01), and responsibility (B = 0.041, p < 0.001) were positively associated with public stigma. This study shows that public stigma related to COVID-19 is prevalent in the general population of China. Actions against public stigma need to contain the spread of misinformation about COVID-19, alter inappropriate attributions, alleviate unfavorable reactions, and provide psychosocial support for the public.

COVID-19 Public Stigma Scale (COVID-PSS): development, validation, psychometric analysis and interpretation

ObjectiveAmid the COVID-19 pandemic, social stigma towards COVID-19 infection has become a major component of public discourse and social phenomena. As such, we aimed to develop and validate the COVID-19 Public Stigma Scale (COVID-PSS).Design and settingNational-based survey cross-sectional study during the lockdown in Thailand.ParticipantsWe invited the 4004 adult public to complete a set of measurement tools, including the COVID-PSS, global fear of COVID-19, perceived risk of COVID-19 infection, Bogardus Social Distance Scale, Pain Intensity Scale and Insomnia Severity Index.MethodsFactor structure dimensionality was constructed and reaffirmed with model fit by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and non-parametric item response theory (IRT) analysis. Psychometric properties for validity and reliability were tested. An anchor-based approach was performed for classifying the proper cut-off scores.ResultsAfter factor analysis, IRT analysis and test for model fit, we created the final 10-item COVID-PSS with a three-factor structure: stereotype, prejudice and fear. Face and content validity were established through the public and experts’ perspectives. The COVID-PSS was significantly correlated (Spearman rank, 95% CI) with the global fear of COVID-19 (0.68, 95% CI 0.66 to 0.70), perceived risk of COVID-19 infection (0.79, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.80) and the Bogardus Social Distance Scale (0.50, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.53), indicating good convergent validity. The correlation statistics between the COVID-PSS and the Pain Intensity Scale and Insomnia Severity Index were <0.2, supporting the discriminant validity. The reliability of the COVID-PSS was satisfactory, with good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α of 0.85, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.86) and test–retest reproducibility (intraclass correlation of 0.94, 95% CI 0.86 to 0.96). The proposed cut-off scores were as follows: no/minimal (≤18), moderate (19–25) and high (≥26) public stigma towards COVID-19 infection.ConclusionsThe COVID-PSS is practical and suitable for measuring stigma towards COVID-19 in a public health survey. However, cross-cultural adaptation may be needed.