Stigmatisation in medical encounters for persistent physical symptoms/functional disorders: Scoping review and thematic synthesis

Objective: To conduct a scoping review of stigma in medical encounters for persistent physical symptoms and functional disorders (PPS/FD). Stigma is a social attribute that links a person to an undesirable characteristic. It has been extensively studied in relation to mental illness but less so in relation to PPS/FD.

Methods: We followed PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines for scoping reviews. Searches for were designed using the SPIDER tool. We used descriptive and thematic analysis.

Results: The searches identified 68 articles, of which 32 were eligible for inclusion. 31 out of the 32 studies used a qualitative methodology. 8 studies used an explicit definition of stigma, of which 6 used the Goffman (1963) definition. Only 2 studies directly examined clinical consultations, the remainder relied on recalled accounts by patients or professionals. Descriptive analysis identified the focus of the studies included: patient-physician interaction (n = 13); health care professionals' perceptions (n = 7); experiences of illness/stigma (n = 6); broader meaning of illness (n = 3); and patients’ experiences of stigma in health care consultations (n = 3).

Conclusion: Patients experience stigmatisation in consultations for a wide range of PPS/FD. This suggests the presence of structural stigmatisation.

Practice Implications: There is a need for effective stigma reduction strategies in consultations about persistent physical symptoms.