• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.86 no.3
• /
• pp.216-225
• /
• 2023

Background: Tuberculosis (TB)-related stigma has been well-documented. Since the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), different organizations have been alerted to the fact that stigma could arise again. Due to stigma's negative effects, this qualitative study aimed to explore the stigma felt by patients by evaluating the following: COVID-19 stigma and its temporal progression through the pandemic; stigma perceived by different patients with TB before and during COVID-19 pandemic; and difference perceived by individuals who contracted both diseases. Methods: A semi-structured interview was developed according to the available literature on the theme. It was performed individually in 2022 upon receiving signed informed consent. Participants were recruited with a purposive sampling approach by searching medical records. Those who currently or previously had pulmonary TB and/or COVID-19 were included. Data were subjected to thematic analysis. Results: Nine patients were interviewed, including six (66.7%) females. The median age of patients was 51±14.7 years. Four participants (44.4%) had completed high school and four (44.4%) were never smokers. Three had both TB and COVID-19. Four only had TB and two only had COVID-19. Interviews identified eight main themes: knowledge and beliefs, with several misconceptions identified; attitudes towards the disease, varying from social support to exclusion; knowledge and education, assumed as of extreme importance; internalized stigma, with self-rejection; experienced stigma, with discrimination episodes; anticipated stigma, modifying actions for avoiding stigma; perceived stigma, with judgment by others prevailed; and temporal evolution of stigma. Conclusion: Individuals expressed strong stigma for both diseases. De-stigmatization of respiratory infectious diseases is crucial for limiting stigma's negative impact.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• v.52 no.9
• /
• pp.1005-1014
• /
• 2009

Purpose:Epilepsy of child may cause high level of psychosocial difficulties for parents including stigmatization and stress and therefore worsen their quality of life (QOL). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mediating effect of perceived stigma against epilepsy on QOL among parents with epileptic child. Methods:Two hundred and sixty parents of epileptic child recruited from five separated university hospital child neurology clinics specializing in epilepsy completed a demographic questionnaire, a medical questionnaire, a perceived stigma questionnaire and the Ro's Quality of Life Inventory, a popular tool for evaluating QOL of adults in Korea which is composed of 6 domains and 47 questions. Data was analyzed with SPSS 14.0 program using frequency analysis and descriptive analysis and with AMOS 7.0 program using Structural Equation Model (SEM) analysis. Results:The level of parents' QOL was relatively fair. SEM analysis on the quality of life level of parents showed that all variables (especially having religion, the monthly income, employment state, age of child, the leisure time, the perceived stigma level against epilepsy, and seizure frequency) directly affect the quality of life level of parents and that disease-related variables also affect the quality of life level of parents indirectly through the mediating factor (the perceived stigma), where the indirect effect is large with the existence of combined disabilities. The total effect on the quality of life level of parents is large with the existence of combined disabilities, the perceived stigma level, the leisure time, having religion, and the monthly income. Conclusion:The results of this study indicated that many factors including parents' perceived stigma may affect the quality of life of parents with epileptic children directly, and that some disease-related factors may affect indirectly through a mediating factor, the perceived stigma. Multidisciplinary collaboration would be imperative for their welfare.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
• /
• v.44
• /
• pp.7-28
• /
• 2016

This study examines the sociocultural background of negritude by delving into Caseríos, Reggaeton, and $Trigue{\tilde{n}}os$, which are interrelated with the racism deeply embedded in Puerto Rican society. These terms have also been discussed in relation to the ideological discourse of racial democracy, which has caused Puerto Rican people to be blind to silenced inequality and hegemonic racial policies. Caseríos, housing projects for the poor urban class, are targeted by the state - sponsored project 'Mano Dura'. Due to the policing, control and surveillance of this anticrime project, Caseríos became perceived even more as residential communities of violence, poverty, and insecurity generally connected to the stigmatization of blackness. Reggaeton emerged as a mega hit genre of transnational Puerto Rican music in the 2000s, which in turn, drew attention to both the afrodiaspora in New York and the urban musical power in the Island. This musical genre serves to highlight the meaningfulness of black heritage in the national cultural identity of Puerto Rico. $Trigue{\tilde{n}}idad$ has recently become a common racial cultural term that embraces a broader racial paradigm of mestizaje. This term can function as an alternative concept of blackness, but it has not yet been transformed into enough cultural politics to resist ongoing racial democracy. The three terms intrinsically address both the uprooted racism and potential methods of challenging it. This paper argues the necessity of stronger and more responsive cultural politics to defy the pervasiveness and invisibility of racial discrimination in Puerto Rico.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.125-157
• /
• 2018

In the reality that the seriousness and concern about the youth problem is increasing, this study focuses on the vision plan project supporting the NEET youth in the social welfare field. Therefore, this study analyzed how the social workers recognized the NEET problem before participating in the project, what difficulties they experienced in the process of the project, and how they coped with these difficulties. The results of the study are as follows. Social workers were saddened by the seriousness of the youth problem before their participation, but they recognized that there was no way to solve it and many social workers were not fully aware of the youth or NEET issues. In this context, in the course of running a project with NEET youth, social workers experienced difficulties due to the nature of the NEET youth, difficulty in forming a relationship with NEET youth, and difficulties for young people not to spend time in the program. And social workers also faced difficulties due to the lack of know-how in the project, difficulties in operating the center alone, and difficulty in achieving employment goals. In the process of coping with these difficulties, social workers have actively sought, persuaded and supported the NEET youths to participate in the project, adapted the time, place and method to the youth, and removed the stigmatization element in the project. They also worked closely with local residents, local institutions and municipalities, formed networks, and changed the viewpoint of providing work experience rather than getting young people, but seeing long-term outcome. As a result, social workers have experienced not only individual change but also social welfare organization, field, community and local institutional change. Based on these results, this study suggested that the social welfare practice field should provide various activities in the process of supporting the youth gap year policy. In addition, this study suggests that the social workers play a role in connecting various actors rather than suppliers when working with young people, and that the social welfare field should expand the scope of project to include youth.