Do people with dementia and mild cognitive impairments experience stigma? A cross-cultural investigation between Italy, Poland and the UK.

Until now little research has been done to answer the question of whether people with dementia experience stigma. No previous studies investigated possible differences between countries and cultures. Therefore, the aims of this study were to compare the experience of stigma (with social isolation, social rejection and internalised shame as components) among people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) ( = 180) in Italy ( = 79), Poland ( = 47) and the United Kingdom (UK) ( = 54); and to investigate possible relationships with demographical and clinical outcomes.