Social Stigmas

Illness and disease are widespread across the world. As human bodies morph and change, management and defeat of these illnesses change as well. The cultural meaning of an illness is defining the illnesses that are stigmatized and those which are not. Culture defines whether the illness is treatable and can be defeated versus those which can’t be. Whether they are scientifically correct in this aspect, is irrelevant as society will conform to the cultural meaning of illness until consulting medical knowledge. Another common term is stigmatization of illness in culture. This is the factor that keeps the patient from seeking medical attention because they are told that the society and medical professionals will discriminate against their

In the sociology of medicine Parson (1951) regarded medicine as functional in social terms. By tackling the person’s problems in medical terms the tendency towards deviance that was represented by ill health could be safely directed, until they could return to their normal self. (Lawrence 1994: p 64-65: BMJ 2004: Parson cited in Gabe, Bury & Elston 2006, p 127).

In this essay, the terms social model and medical model will be explored. Then, aspects of sociological theory and how it influences the delivery of health and social care will be explored

Scholars have been critical of the medical establishment’s and state’s involvement in constructing and policing of transgender identity. These kinds of pressing issues have occupied the small existing literature. There is not much information and studying what is being done on transgender in traditional areas, family studies research, such as their dating behavior and formation of intimate relationships in adulthood. There is little research on the issues around being parents, their children’s experiences with having transgendered parents, as well as relationships in the family as a whole, and relationships in work and school.

Perhaps the most significant contributing cause of the poor quality of healthcare afforded to transgender patients is the fact that the majority of healthcare providers do not know how to treat trans patients. According to a study done by the Royal College of Nursing, it was discovered that “78% [of surveyed nursing staff] had not had training on how to care for transgender people, and only 13% of those surveyed said they had felt prepared to meet the needs of trans patients they had cared for” (Duffy, 2016). Additionally, around four out of five staff had “no training

The transgender population often have complicated medical needs and encounter numerous health disparities including discrimination, lack of access to quality health care and social stigma. Some health disparities include various chronic diseases, cancers, as well as mental health issues (Vanderbilt University, 2017). Transgender individuals are at increased risk of HIV infection with their rates being reported “over four times the national average of HIV infection, with higher rates among transgender people of color (Grant, Mottet, Tanis, 2011).” In addition, they usually do not have health insurance (Makadon, 2017) and have a lower probability of preventative cancer screenings in transgender men (AMSA, 2017).

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) falls within societal minority groups such as low income, people of color, and disables (AHRQ, 2011). Due to their gender identity, discrimination, violence, and even denial of human rights and healthcare services is a common challenge among LGBT population. LGBT still faces many health disparities primarily related to the historic bias of healthcare professionals anti-LGBT manners even though society acceptance has been favorable. According to Ard and Makadon (n.d), “until 1973, homosexuality was listed as a disorder…, and transgender still is.” This stigma prevents healthcare professionals to openly ask questions in a non-judgmental manner related to sexual identity. On the other hand, if the patient senses that the healthcare environment is discriminating they may be reluctant to disclose important information as their sexual orientation; thus, missing important opportunities of been educated about safety and health care risks.

In a recent podcast regarding a transgender high school student being forced to change in the nurse’s office instead of in the locker room with other students addressed the controversy regarding the treatment of members of our society who identify as LGBTQ. Throughout the podcast, multiple individuals have voiced support for the school’s decision to isolate the transgender student when changing. Do to the opinions voiced in the podcast regarding this case, I realized that the treatment of the high school student is only one example of the existing discrimination towards those who identify as LGBTQ. As such, I intend to explore the controversy of LGBTQ and our obligations that we have as members of the same society. Throughout this paper, I

Evidence-informed practice is a critical part of nursing care. To be able to have evidence-informed practice, nurses need to be able to conduct research to find the most up-to-date and relevant information related to patient- and family centered care. When caring for patients, it is paramount to recognize the importance of family and the role they play in care. When one comes out as transgender, it is something that is not only going to affect the said person, but also their friends and family. Family members are key support systems so when you are caring for one person, you are in turn caring for the family as well. This is known as patient- and family-centered care. As there has been an increase in literature pertaining to family-centered care, the question of interest is “What is the impact on a spouse when a partner is transgendered?” To find the answer to this clinical question, the database Medline was utilized. The keywords LGBTQ, transgender, family-centered, spouse, nurse, sexuality and health care were used and combined with Boolean operators. Through this research, knowledge can be gained on how to properly care for the spouse of a transgendered person. This paper will discuss the key impacts of having a transgender spouse, nursing approaches that we can integrate into our care, and resources available for the non-transgender spouse.

Of the study’s 25 participants, 20 were female-to-male. The authors determined the main problem for the participants was the struggle to find transgender-sensitive health care. The subjects described discrimination by healthcare systems, lack of knowledge and hostility by providers, and lack of health insurance to cover transgender-specific healthcare needs. Some of the FtM participants who had problems with pelvic pain, abnormal uterine bleeding, and a history of abnormal Pap tests kept their gender as female on their insurance so they could still get the care they needed. Using a national cross-sectional survey data set, Shires and Jaffee (2015) reported similar findings. Of the 1,711 FtM participants included in this study, 41.8 percent reported verbal harassment, physical assault, or denial of equal treatment in a doctor’s office or

The idea of the social construction of the illness experience is based on the concept of reality as a social construction. From the work of Berger and Luckmann (1996), they argue that actions can only interpreted through the meanings people give them. The reality of a thing and what it means is dependent on the attitudes, values, and norms of the society in which the thing is and the context of the situation. Sociologists claim that biological knowledge can be socially explained to show that the knowledge of health and disease is socially constructed through different ways which are political, social and cultural environment.

In the chapter “The social basis of medicine” Andrew Russel touches upon the social factor that plays a role in the practice of medicine. An essential part of an effective treatment is, according to Russell, the humane aspect of patient care. The concept of “whole-person care” is based on the biopsychosocial approach that modern integrative medicine is making and which has become the gold standard of the afforementioned. Furthermore the text mentions the importance of understanind the social basis of professional health care. It is necessary for doctors to take the influence that society and culture on their own work as well as the patients life into account.

The conceptualisation of medicine as an institution of societal control was first theorised by Parsons (1951), and from this stemmed the notion of the deviant termed illness in which the “sick role” was a legitimised condition. The societal reaction and perspective was deemed a pillar of the emerging social construction of disease and conception of the formalised medical model of disease. Concerns surrounding medicalisation fundamentally stem from the fusion of social and medical concerns wherein the lines between the two are gradually blurred and the the social consequences of the proliferation of disease diagnosis that results from such ambiguities of the social medical model.

There are many stigmas, or misconceptions and misperceptions in our society which need to be shattered. I believe that one of the worse possible effects of stigma is that it causes those affected by psychological disorders, or mental illness, to crawl more deeply into themselves because it provokes a sense of shame. Stigma thrusts those suffering with mental illness into a sense of isolation, social exclusion, and discrimination. “Stigma can lead to discrimination … It may be obvious or direct … Or it may be unintentional or subtle…” (Staff). Stigma is often as big as the illness itself and I confess to having been a perpetuator of this dreaded thing, although not consciously aware and without the intent of furthering the harm of someone.

Erving Goffman’s theory of social stigma (1963) will be used as a guideline for the thesis and will act as a basis for further research on personal and perceived depression stigma. Stigma is a deeply discrediting attribute which has a strong relationship to stereotype (Goffman, 1963) Goffman defines stigma as a gap between “virtual social identity and actual social identity” and states that stigmata are bodily signs which deviate from the norm (Goffman, 1963). According to him, three different types of stigma exist: (1) physical deformities, (2) blemishes of individual character and (3) tribal stigma.