Treufeldt, H. and Burton, C. orcid.org/0000-0003-0233-2431 (2024) Stigmatisation in medical encounters for persistent physical symptoms/functional disorders: Scoping review and thematic synthesis. Patient Education and Counseling, 123. 108198. ISSN: 0738-3991
Abstract
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.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | Crown Copyright © 2024 This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Functional disorders; Medical consultation; Medically unexplained symptoms; Persistent physical symptoms; Scoping review; Stigma; Humans; Social Stigma; Physician-Patient Relations; Stereotyping; Referral and Consultation; Attitude of Health Personnel; Qualitative Research |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Medicine and Population Health |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EUROPEAN COMMISSION - HORIZON 2020 956673 |
Date Deposited: | 09 Oct 2025 12:04 |
Last Modified: | 09 Oct 2025 12:04 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108198 |
Related URLs: | |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:232717 |