Stigma refers to negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors directed toward individuals or groups based on characteristics perceived as socially unacceptable, often leading to discrimination, social exclusion, and reduced access to care. Research published in this journal examines stigma across multiple health conte…
Stigma refers to negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors directed toward individuals or groups based on characteristics perceived as socially unacceptable, often leading to discrimination, social exclusion, and reduced access to care. Research published in this journal examines stigma across multiple health contexts, with particular emphasis on HIV/AIDS-related stigma and its effects on treatment adherence, status disclosure, and care-seeking behaviors in African populations. Studies have explored how stigma influences antiretroviral treatment adherence, barriers to HIV status disclosure in Uganda and Rwanda, and sociocultural obstacles to orphan care in Southern Africa. The journal has also published work on affiliate stigma among mental health service providers in Nigeria, examining how stigma affects those who care for stigmatized populations. Additional research addresses stigma in the context of COVID-19, obesity, and gender disparities in ADHD diagnosis, where delayed recognition in females partly stems from stigmatized perceptions of the condition. This body of work demonstrates that stigma operates as a significant barrier to healthcare access, treatment compliance, and psychosocial well-being across diverse populations and health conditions, particularly affecting vulnerable groups including women, people living with HIV, and individuals with mental health conditions.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 37 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Stigma, linking to each citing work.