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Health-related stigma among women with lymphatic filariasis from the Dominican Republic and Ghana

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  • Person, Bobbie
  • Bartholomew, L. Kay
  • Gyapong, Margaret
  • Addiss, David G.
  • van den Borne, Bart

Abstract

People fearful of being stigmatized by a health-related condition often do not embrace prevention behaviors or seek medical help. They may adhere poorly to treatment regimes for disease and abruptly terminate much needed treatment. Globally, 120 million--many poor women--suffer consequences of lymphatic filariasis that include stigmatizing lymphedema or elephantiasis of the leg. We investigated how women with lymphedema from two different cultures experience stigma and its consequences. Our qualitative data were collected from 56 Dominican women and 48 Ghanaian women with lymphedema. A lymphedema-related stigma framework was developed from constructs derived from the literature and emergent themes from the data. Women described a spectrum of enacted, perceived, and internalized stigma experiences, such as being criticized and isolated by the community, health providers, and even by friends and relatives; they were often denied access to education and meaningful work roles. Some antecedents, consequences, coping strategies, and outcomes of these experiences varied across cultures, with Dominican women faring somewhat better than Ghanaians. Poverty, poor access to health care resources, limited education, and diminished social support challenged the coping strategies of many women and exacerbated negative consequences of lymphedema-related stigma.

Suggested Citation

  • Person, Bobbie & Bartholomew, L. Kay & Gyapong, Margaret & Addiss, David G. & van den Borne, Bart, 2009. "Health-related stigma among women with lymphatic filariasis from the Dominican Republic and Ghana," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 30-38, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:68:y:2009:i:1:p:30-38
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gyapong, Margaret & Gyapong, John O. & Adjei, Sam & Vlassoff, Carol & Weiss, Mitchell, 1996. "Filariasis in northern Ghana: Some cultural beliefs and practices and their implications for disease control," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 235-242, July.
    2. Jacoby, Ann, 1994. "Felt versus enacted stigma: A concept revisited: Evidence from a study of people with epilepsy in remission," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 269-274, January.
    3. Bandyopadhyay, Lalita, 1996. "Lymphatic filariasis and the women of India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 42(10), pages 1401-1410, May.
    4. Yang, Lawrence Hsin & Kleinman, Arthur & Link, Bruce G. & Phelan, Jo C. & Lee, Sing & Good, Byron, 2007. "Culture and stigma: Adding moral experience to stigma theory," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(7), pages 1524-1535, April.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Kawoun Seo & Youngshin Song, 2019. "Self‐stigma among Korean patients with diabetes: A concept analysis," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(9-10), pages 1794-1807, May.
    3. Jiannan Li & Wenqi Liang & Bocong Yuan & Guojun Zeng, 2020. "Internalized Stigmatization, Social Support, and Individual Mental Health Problems in the Public Health Crisis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-14, June.
    4. Zulma M. Medeiros & Amanda V. B. Vieira & Amanda T. Xavier & Gilberto S. N. Bezerra & Maria de Fátima C. Lopes & Cristine V. Bonfim & Ana M. Aguiar-Santos, 2021. "Lymphatic Filariasis: A Systematic Review on Morbidity and Its Repercussions in Countries in the Americas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-18, December.
    5. Kim Ozano & Laura Dean & Mami Yoshimura & Eleanor MacPherson & Natalia Linou & Mariam Otmani del Barrio & Christine M Halleux & Olumide Ogundahunsi & Sally Theobald, 2020. "A call to action for universal health coverage: Why we need to address gender inequities in the neglected tropical diseases community," PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(3), pages 1-7, March.
    6. Brewis, Alexandra A. & Hruschka, Daniel J. & Wutich, Amber, 2011. "Vulnerability to fat-stigma in women's everyday relationships," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(4), pages 491-497, August.

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