Department of Nursing, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, 20th Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, China.
Department of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, 20th Xisi Road, Nantong, 226001, China.
Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2022 Aug;164(8):2069-2081. doi: 10.1007/s00701-022-05246-2. Epub 2022 May 21.
Stigma, besides aggravating the damage caused by the disease, may also lead to unhealthy characteristics in patients and unhealthy situations in society. Individuals with acromegaly disease may suffer from stigma concerns, and the associated factors remain largely unknown. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the levels of perceived stigma in patients with acromegaly and explore the associated factors.
A total of 138 patients with acromegaly were evaluated for having stigma using five previously validated scales: (i) the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness, (ii) the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, (iii) the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, (iv) the Body Image Concern scale, and (v) the Acromegaly Quality of Life scale. The potential determinants of stigma were evaluated using the univariate statistical analysis. A multivariate linear regression model was adopted to assess the predictors of stigma in patients with acromegaly. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to analyze the relationship between stigma and the quality of life of the patients.
Among the 138 respondents, 102 provided consent for participation.The evaluated patients exhibited critically high levels of perceived stigma. The multiple regression analysis revealed high BMI, serious body image concerns, inferiority complex personality, and critical levels of anxiety as the potential predictors of stigma in patients with acromegaly. The overall stigma and internalized stigma were significantly correlated with QoL in these patients.
The patients with acromegaly exhibited critically high levels of perceived stigma, which led to psychological distress and disruptions in their daily lives. This finding highlights the importance of addressing the stigma concerns and the necessity for providing additional support to these patients in this regard during follow-up sessions. Further research should focus on developing intervention strategies to decrease the levels of perceived stigma in patients with acromegaly to promote their quality of life and for the psychosocial rehabilitation of these patients.
除了加剧疾病造成的损害外，污名化还可能导致患者出现不健康的特征和社会的不健康状况。肢端肥大症患者可能会受到污名化的困扰，但相关因素在很大程度上尚不清楚。因此，本横断面研究旨在调查肢端肥大症患者的感知污名程度，并探讨相关因素。
采用先前验证过的 5 个量表评估 138 例肢端肥大症患者的污名程度：（i）慢性病污名量表；（ii）汉密尔顿焦虑量表；（iii）罗森伯格自尊量表；（iv）体像担忧量表；（v）肢端肥大症生活质量量表。采用单因素统计分析评估污名的潜在决定因素。采用多元线性回归模型评估肢端肥大症患者污名的预测因素。采用 Pearson 相关分析评估污名与患者生活质量之间的关系。
在 138 名应答者中，有 102 名同意参与。评估患者表现出严重的感知污名。多元回归分析显示，高 BMI、严重的体像担忧、自卑人格和严重的焦虑是肢端肥大症患者污名的潜在预测因素。总体污名和内化污名与这些患者的生活质量显著相关。
肢端肥大症患者表现出严重的感知污名，导致心理困扰和日常生活中断。这一发现强调了关注污名问题的重要性，并需要在随访期间为这些患者提供额外的支持。未来的研究应重点制定干预策略，以降低肢端肥大症患者的感知污名程度，从而提高他们的生活质量，促进这些患者的心理社会康复。
