Stigma experienced by ALS/PMA patients and their caregivers: a mixed-methods study.

Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener

Department of Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy Science and Sports, Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Published: May 2023

Objective: Previous work suggests that stigma negatively impacts quality of life in people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and progressive muscular atrophy (PMA). This study aimed to explore experiences of enacted stigma (experienced discrimination) and felt stigma (shame, fear of exclusion) among Dutch ALS/PMA patients and their caregivers. A secondary aim was to assess associated factors of enacted/felt stigma among patients.

Methods: A two-phase mixed-methods study was conducted, comprising cross-sectional surveys among 193 ALS/PMA patients and 87 caregivers, and semi-structured interviews with 8 ALS/PMA patients and 11 family caregivers. Descriptive and multivariable regression analyses along with qualitative content analysis were used to analyze survey and interview data.

Results: Survey findings indicate that patients and caregivers experience enacted and felt stigma. Interviews with both patients and caregivers revealed two manifestations of enacted stigma, including social exclusion (e.g. relationship distancing) and stigmatizing attitudes/behaviors displayed by others (e.g. staring), and three manifestations of felt stigma, including alienation (e.g. shame/embarrassment), perceived discrimination (e.g. feeling judged) and anticipated stigma (e.g. fear of exclusion). Patients and caregivers engaged in concealing and resisting responses to stigma. More bulbar symptoms, King's clinical stage, younger age and living without a partner were significantly associated with enacted/felt stigma among patients.

Conclusions: Our findings reveal a range of perceptions and experiences underlying enacted/felt stigma among ALS/PMA patients and their caregivers that may serve as conversation topics in clinical practice. Future research may shed more light on the determinants as well as the consequences of stigmatizing experiences among patients and caregivers.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21678421.2022.2161911DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

patients caregivers
32
als/pma patients
20
stigma
12
felt stigma
12
enacted/felt stigma
12
patients
9
caregivers
9
stigma experienced
8
mixed-methods study
8
enacted stigma
8

Similar Publications

Unlabelled: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most common sex chromosomal aneuploidy in males (47,XXY karyotype in 80-90% of cases), primarily characterized by hypergonadotropic hypogonadism and infertility. It encompasses a broad phenotypic spectrum, leading to variability in neurocognitive and psychosocial outcomes among affected individuals. Despite the recognized correlation between KS and various neuropsychiatric conditions, studies investigating potential sleep disorders, particularly in pediatric subjects, are lacking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Influence of Ageing on the Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics of Chronically Administered Medicines in Geriatric Patients: A Review.

Clin Pharmacokinet

January 2025

Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

As people age, the efficiency of various regulatory processes that ensure proper communication between cells and organs tends to decline. This deterioration can lead to difficulties in maintaining homeostasis during physiological stress. This includes but is not limited to cognitive impairments, functional difficulties, and issues related to caregivers which contribute significantly to medication errors and non-adherence.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Pediatric anxiety is rapidly increasing, and in 2022, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommended universal anxiety screening using a validated tool for children 8-18 years.

Method: This evidence-based practice quality improvement initiative integrated an educational process, a validated anxiety screening tool, and a Caregiver Satisfaction Survey into all primary care wellness visits for patients aged 8-18 years.

Results: Significant increases in screening and referrals for mental healthcare were observed postinitiative implementation, especially in ages 8-11 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Implementation and hybrid effectiveness-implementation trials aspire to speed the translation of science into practice by generating crucial evidence for improving the uptake of effective health interventions. By design, they pose unique recruitment and retention challenges due to their aims, units of analysis, and sampling plans, which typically require many clinical sites (i.e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Health-Related Quality of Life in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Systematic Review of Phase III Clinical Trials.

J Clin Med

January 2025

Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, Section of Translational Pharmacology, University of Turin, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano, Italy.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is the most common rheumatic disease in childhood, leading to severe disability and negatively affecting patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the adoption, reporting and assessment methodology of HRQoL in phase III clinical trials involving children with JIA. An electronic and manual search was conducted to identify primary and secondary publications of pharmacological trials conducted between 2012 and 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!