Stigma
Stigma happens when a person or group is denied full social acceptance because of association with something (such as an illness) that is considered bad or shameful by others in their society
Infectious disease outbreaks are often associated with stigma. Stigma is known to have negative effects on the psychological, social, and sometimes physical well-being of affected people. Stigma surveys measure the amount of stigma in a community. They are used routinely for diseases such as HIV and, if applied to other outbreak diseases such as mpox (formerly known as monkeypox), they can help to identify and address stigma.
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“A lot of stigma can come from the way the health system treats people who have a new disease, and the way public health messages are communicated.”
Read more about ISARIC researcher Amy Paterson’s ongoing work to counter stigma associated with infectious diseases.
Our work and case studies
(Re)-emerging and EPidemic Infectious Diseases (RAPID) Stigma Scales
Stigma happens when a person or group is denied full social acceptance because of association with something (such as an illness) that is considered bad or shameful by others in their society. Infectious disease outbreaks are often associated with stigma. Stigma is known to have negative effects on the psychological, social, and sometimes physical well-being of affected people.
The stigma associated with infectious disease outbreaks can also make it difficult to stop the spread of an outbreak. This is because it can make people hesitant to admit to symptoms or seek testing and treatment. It can also make people feel too ashamed to take preventative measures or adhere to treatment. This means the infectious disease can continue to be passed to others. In addition, outbreak related public health interventions (such as quarantine) may make stigma worse.
Stigma surveys measure the amount of stigma in a community. They are used routinely for diseases such as HIV and, if applied to other outbreak diseases such as mpox (formerly known as monkeypox), they can help to identify and address stigma. Now, we have developed the first validated survey to assist with recognition and reduction of stigma in communities affected by infectious diseases.
The RAPID Stigma Scales have been rigorously designed to enable fast, real-time assessment of stigma across outbreak settings, enabling responders to design targeted interventions to improve health outcomes and promote equitable care.
The RAPID Stigma Scales consist of two scales:
- The Community Stigma Scale captures initial social stigma, provider/authority-related stigma, structural stigma, and enduring social stigma.
- The Self Stigma Scale captures internalised stigma felt by an individual.
Both scales have been developed with robust psychometric properties, ensuring they are valid and reliable.
RAPID Stigma Scales
The RAPID scales are now openly-accessible through The Lancet Infectious Diseases. They can be used by researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who want to apply validated, transferable tools to assess stigma in real-time during outbreaks.
News
First validated tool to measure stigma during multiple infectious disease outbreaks published
The new RAPID Stigma Scales, developed by ISARIC researchers and communities impacted by outbreak-related stigma, will help health professionals to monitor stigma in disease outbreak settings, improving outbreak responses globally.
Researchers create new model of stigma during outbreaks
Researchers collaborating through ISARIC networks have created an explanatory analytical model of stigma during outbreaks, which has been published in Nature’s Scientific Reports.
Shining a spotlight on the stigma associated with emerging infectious diseases
ISARIC is collaborating with the Pandemic Sciences Institute (PSI) in the UK, the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh (icddr,b) and the World Alliance for Lung and Intensive Care Medicine in Uganda (WALIMU) are developing a set of tools to better understand stigma associated with emerging infectious diseases.