Perceived Stigma of Hereditary Chronic Diseases in Oman

Abstract

Abstract Background: Stigma is an experienced or anticipated social practice or negative labeling described as the blame or rejection of a person or group of people. Chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS could result in stigma and contribute to negative health outcomes. An individual with chronic disease may experience public stigma from family members, coworkers, friends, or healthcare staff, which can lead to group separations. This study aims to describe the anticipated stigma of hereditary chronic diseases among university students. Stigma is negative labeling described as the blame or rejection of a person or group of people. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on university students aged 18-30 years via a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 407 students completed the survey. The majority (93.9%) of respondents were male, and 42.5% were 21 to 24 years of age. Results: We found that the majority (63.1%) of participants anticipated stigma with hereditary chronic diseases. Those who do not suffer from genetic diseases have a higher anticipated stigma than those who do suffer from genetic diseases. The highest mean scores were in the category of coworkers and employers (M=9.55±2.994), followed by the health care providers (M=9.15±3.433). The lowest scores were for family and friends (M=8.46±2.935). Students who did not suffer from genetic diseases (F (1,404) =4.328, p=.038), students who were unaware of the premarital screening (PMS) (F (2,402) =3.385, p=.035), and those who were unwilling to undergo PMS (F (1,405) =9.342, p=.002) showed higher stigma scores. Conclusions: Providing supportive help for individuals with hereditary chronic illnesses is imperative and needs to be incorporated within their plan of care. Further studies are needed to investigate all these factors and how they are related to the stigma of chronic diseases.