Epilepsy stigma in Asia: the meaning and impact of stigma
- Author:
Kheng-Seang Lim
;
Chong-Tin Tan
- Publication Type:Review
- From:Neurology Asia
2014;19(1):1-10
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Stigma is conceptually broad and culturally variable. Understanding stigma from the conceptual
theories, culturally application based on the word stigma in other languages, the definition of stigma
and its synonyms, as well as the medical implications in other stigmatized disease such as AIDS,
will help us to understand the complexity of stigma in epilepsy. This review investigated the meaning
and types of stigma from different perspectives, leading to staging stigma into 5 levels, i.e. social
identity, stereotype, prejudice, discrimination and social disability. In addition to the conventional
categorization of stigma into social, felt, self-perceived or internalized stigma, new categories of
stigma i.e. personal and general attitudes towards epilepsy based on a newly developed Public
Attitudes Toward Epilepsy (PATE) scale was introduced. Courtesy stigma was further elaborated in
related to Asian culture. Based on well-established and recently developed theories, the causation and
impact of epilepsy stigma was discussed in an Asian context, especially from the aspects of language
and society values which are culturally specific. Integrating these theories of causation, illness and
stereotype perceptions were proposed to be the mediating mechanism of stigma, which led to the
development of a practical and multi-dimensional stigmatization model, aiming to guide, widen and
deepen the scope of future stigma research in epilepsy. Using the established model, together with
review of related studies, research priorities in epilepsy stigma research especially in Asia focusing on
five aspects, i.e. expanding population studies especially on significant others, understanding stigma
from personal attitude perspective, investigating the cultural and social causation of stigma, and the
impacts of stigma on patients as well as the family members, were proposed.
- Full text:P020150623442756494581.pdf
