Stigma, Delayed Treatment, and Spousal Notification Among Male Patients With Sexually Transmitted Disease in China

Background: Stigmatization may prevent effective control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in China. Thus, its impact needs to be studied. Goal: The goal of the study was to explore the effect of perceived stigmatization on control of STDs. Study Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sexually transmitted diseases 2002-06, Vol.29 (6), p.335-343
Main Authors: LIU, HONGJIE, DETELS, ROGER, LI, XIAOJING, MA, ERJIAN, YIN, YUEPING
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Attitudes
Bacterial diseases
Bacterial diseases of the genital system
Biological and medical sciences
China
Contact Tracing
Cross-Sectional Studies
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Infectious diseases
Logistic Models
Male
Medical sciences
Men
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology
Prejudice
Sexually transmitted diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases - prevention & control
Sexually Transmitted Diseases - psychology
Socioeconomic Factors
STD
Time Factors
Tropical medicine
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Summary:Background: Stigmatization may prevent effective control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in China. Thus, its impact needs to be studied. Goal: The goal of the study was to explore the effect of perceived stigmatization on control of STDs. Study Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted among males attending four STD clinics for the first time for a current STD. Results: Among 406 patients, 80% felt stigmatized, 28% sought treatment only after suffering symptoms for at least 1 week, and 40% reported continuing to have sex while having symptoms. No association was observed between feelings of stigmatization and delay in seeking treatment. Among those married, 77% expressed unwillingness to notify their spouses. Patients who felt stigmatized were less likely to agree to notify their spouses (odds ratio, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.21-0.85). Conclusion: Policies are needed to reduce stigmatization, reduce time to treatment, and promote disclosure to sex partners.
ISSN:0148-5717
1537-4521
DOI:10.1097/00007435-200206000-00005