Internalized and Anticipated Stigmatization in Patients With Gout

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Psychosocial Medicine
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Gout is a chronic condition requiring long-term management.
• Illness-related stigma can negatively affect patient outcomes and treatment adherence.
• Understanding factors associated with stigma perception in gout is crucial for effective patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the associations between stigma perception (internalized and anticipated) and demographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors in patients with gout.
• To identify predictors of stigma experience in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 50 patients with gout on urate-lowering medication.
• Data collected via questionnaires assessing internalized/anticipated stigma, demographics, gout severity, and psychosocial variables (illness perceptions, disability, body satisfaction, nonadherence).
• Serum urate levels were recorded from recent blood tests.

Main Results:

• 26% of patients reported internalized stigma, and 26% anticipated stigma from family/friends; 14% anticipated stigma from healthcare workers.
• Univariate analyses linked younger age, non-New Zealand European ethnicity, gout pain severity, negative illness perceptions, higher disability, and intentional nonadherence to increased stigma.
• Multivariate analysis identified younger age, emotional illness response, and intentional nonadherence as significant predictors of anticipated stigma.

Conclusions:

• A notable subgroup of gout patients experiences internalized and anticipated illness-related stigma.
• Stigma in gout is associated with younger age, negative emotional responses to illness, and intentions toward nonadherence with treatment.
• These findings suggest a need for interventions addressing stigma and its psychosocial correlates in gout management.