Expected stigma in patients diagnosed with hepatitis B and hepatitis C

This study was conducted to determine the stigma levels of individuals diagnosed with Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. The descriptive and comparative research was carried out with 97 individuals who applied to a public hospital between January and July 2025. Before starting the study, necessary permissions were obtained from the ethics committee, the scale owner for the use of the Chronic Disease Stigma Scale (CDSS), the institution where the study was conducted, and the patients included in the study. Data for the study were collected using a CDSS. The scale consists of three subscales measuring the expected stigma from family and friends, the workplace, and healthcare professionals. The total score from the subscales ranges from "4-20," and the overall score ranges from "12-60." A higher total score indicates a higher perceived stigma by the individual. The data obtained were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test for non-normally distributed data in independent groups and the Kruskal-Wallis H test for more than two groups. To determine which group the significant difference between multiple groups originated from, the Bonferroni test was applied for post-hoc group comparisons. The average age of the patients was found to be 51.59 ± 14.85 years, 82.5% of them were diagnosed with Hepatitis B, 17.5% with Hepatitis C, and 50.5% had taken some precautionary measures at home due to their illness. The average total score on the CDSS was found to be 16.20 ± 7.10, with the family/friends subscale score averaging 5.39 ± 3.02, the employer/coworkers subscale score 5.42 ± 2.86, and the healthcare workers subscale score 5.39 ± 2.68. It was found that the patients generally had a low perceived stigma, but individuals who believed their disease separated them from their social and work environments had significantly higher total stigma scores and scores on all subscales. Additionally, individuals who felt excluded while receiving healthcare services had significantly higher scores in the healthcare workers subscale. In conclusion, although the overall stigma levels of patients diagnosed with Hepatitis B and C are low, certain variables can significantly affect the perceived stigma levels. In conclusion, it is suggested that attitude development training for family members, coworkers, and healthcare professionals, as well as social awareness campaigns, be conducted.