Discussion
Points Regarding the Epidemiology of Commonly-Stigmatized Disorders, Maureen Durkin
Maureen
Durkin, Ph.D., Dr. P.H.
There
are at least two distinct and urgent reasons for investigating stigma within
the context of physical impairments and disabilities among children,
particularly those in the less developed world. One is to better understand and prevent the stigma itself and the
burden it places upon affected children and families. The other is to understand how stigma contributes to selection
bias and non-participation, thereby impeding both epidemiologic studies of
conditions that are stigmatizing and efforts to control the occurrence of those
conditions. Research is needed to
describe the manifestations, antecedents, consequences and potentially adaptive
functions of stigma across cultures.