A scoping review of health-related stigma outcomes for high-burden diseases in low- and middle-income countries

Bibliographic Data

ID23337993
AuthorsJeremy C Kane (0000-0002-6598-3840, Johns Hopkins University, corresponding author), Melissa A Elafros (0000-0002-4511-201X, Johns Hopkins University), Sarah M Murray (0000-0002-4976-9713, Johns Hopkins University), Edna M Mitchell (0000-0002-2824-3499), Ellen M H Mitchell, Jura L Augustinavicius (0000-0001-6763-2027, Johns Hopkins University), Sara Causevic (0000-0003-0271-8000, Karolinska Institutet), Stefan D Baral (0000-0002-5482-2419, Johns Hopkins University)
Year2019
Volume17
Issue1
Pages17-17
Publication date2019-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBMC Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1741-7015 • E-ISSN: 1741-7015
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1186/s12916-019-1250-8
PMID30764819
OpenAlexW2912683158
LanguageEN
Citations received74
References cited217

BACKGROUND: Stigma is associated with health conditions that drive disease burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including HIV, tuberculosis, mental health problems, epilepsy, and substance use disorders. However, the literature discussing the relationship between stigma and health outcomes is largely fragmented within disease-specific siloes, thus limiting the identification of common moderators or mechanisms through which stigma potentiates adverse health outcomes as well as the development of broadly relevant stigma mitigation interventions. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review to provide a critical overview of the breadth of research on stigma for each of the five aforementioned conditions in LMICs, including their methodological strengths and limitations. RESULTS: Across the range of diseases and disorders studied, stigma is associated with poor health outcomes, including help- and treatment-seeking behaviors. Common methodological limitations include a lack of prospective studies, non-representative samples resulting in limited generalizability, and a dearth of data on mediators and moderators of the relationship between stigma and health outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing effective stigma mitigation interventions at scale necessitates transdisciplinary longitudinal studies that examine how stigma potentiates the risk for adverse outcomes for high-burden health conditions in community-based samples in LMICs.

Disease · Environmental health · Family medicine · Generalizability theory · Global health · Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) · Mental health · Psychiatry · Psychological intervention · Public health · Social stigma · Stigma (botany) · Diabetes Management and Education · Healthcare Systems and Reforms · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Nursing · Psychology

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