Stigma is the social devaluation, labeling, and discrediting of individuals on the basis of an attribute, condition, or identity that a society judges undesirable, producing prejudice, status loss, and discrimination. Sociological and psychological models distinguish public stigma (endorsed stereotypes and discrimin…
Stigma is the social devaluation, labeling, and discrediting of individuals on the basis of an attribute, condition, or identity that a society judges undesirable, producing prejudice, status loss, and discrimination. Sociological and psychological models distinguish public stigma (endorsed stereotypes and discriminatory behavior in the wider community), self-stigma or internalized stigma (when affected people absorb negative beliefs about themselves), and structural stigma embedded in institutions and policy. A further dimension, affiliate or courtesy stigma, falls on relatives, caregivers, and the professionals who treat stigmatized groups. The construct is central to mental health, chronic and infectious disease, and public health because anticipated or enacted stigma drives concealment, delays help-seeking, undermines treatment adherence, and erodes quality of life. Research in this area examines stigma surrounding mental illness and the psychological burden it places on psychiatric service providers; HIV-related stigma as a barrier to status disclosure, antiretroviral adherence, orphan care, and pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake across sub-Saharan African and other settings; and stigma attached to adolescent motherhood, obesity, and epidemic disease. Methods span survey scales, qualitative interviews, and cross-sectional epidemiology. The journal publishes peer-reviewed studies investigating the measurement, determinants, and behavioral consequences of stigma and approaches to reducing it.
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.