Gender and community views of stigma and XXXX , India.

@entity1 @entity281 @entity378
Stigma associated with @entity378 ( @entity378 ) is often regarded as a barrier to health seeking and a cause of social suffering. Stigma studies are typically @entity1 -centred, and less is known about the views of communities where @entity1 reside. This study examined community perceptions of @entity378 . A total of 160 respondents (80 @entity1 and 80 @entity1 ) without @entity378 in the general population of Western Maharashtra, India, were interviewed using Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue interviews with same-sex and cross-sex vignettes depicting a @entity1 with typical features of @entity378 . The study clarified features of @entity378 . Concealment of disease was explained as fear of losing social status, marital problems and hurtful behaviour by the community. For the female vignette, heredity was perceived as a cause for stigmatising behaviour. Marital problems were anticipated more for the male vignette. Anticipation of spouse support, however, was more definite for @entity1 and conditional for @entity1 , indicating the vulnerability of @entity1 . Community views acknowledged that both @entity1 and @entity1 with @entity378 share a psychological burden of unfulfilled social responsibilities. The distinction between public health risks of @entity281 and unjustified social isolation (stigma) was ambiguous. Such a distinction is important for effective community-based interventions for early diagnosis of @entity378 and successful treatment.
