Emotions, Relationships and Behaviour: a Qualitative Study on Experiences of Stigma among Persons Affected by Leprosy in Northern Nigeria
Purpose: Leprosy is a highly stigmatised disease with far-reaching psychosocial and economic consequences. This study explored the social consequences of leprosy and the factors that drive stigma among persons affected by leprosy in northern Nigeria.
Method: The study used a cross-sectional design with a qualitative approach. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 persons affected by leprosy. Data were collected from September to November 2020. ILEP’s four stigma domains (emotions, thoughts, behaviour and relationships) were used to develop the interview guide and to analyse the data. The framework approach to thematic analysis was performed.
Results: The study identified: (1) negative societal attitudes and behaviour towards persons affected by leprosy, (2) restrictions in social participation among affected persons, such as in communal eating, job opportunities and education, (3) negative impact of leprosy on marital life and marriage prospects, also experienced by family members, and (4) negative emotions such as sadness and despair. Some of the problems seemed to be caused by negative perceptions and a lack of knowledge of leprosy. The main coping strategies included adjustments in behaviour (e.g., marrying other persons affected by leprosy and communal eating amongst persons affected), and religion (by seeking consolation through faith in God/Allah).
Conclusion: High levels of stigma were experienced by the participants. This underscores the importance of sustained information, education and communication interventions via traditional and modern media, to fill knowledge gaps and address misconceptions and myths about leprosy.
Keywords
Authors
How to Cite
Download Citation
License
Copyright © 2023 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License By-NC-ND 4.0 that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access ).
Similar Articles
- Sunil Deepak, Mario Biggeri, Vincenzo Mauro, Jayanth Kumar, Giampiero Griffo, Impact of Community-based Rehabilitation on Persons with Different Disabilities , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 24 No. 4 (2013): Winter 2013
- Ritu Kalgotra, Jaspal Singh Warwal, Development and Standardization of a Test of Motor Proficiency in Children with Intellectual Disabilities in India , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 28 No. 3 (2017): Autumn 2017
- Pim Kuipers, Huib Cornielje, Alternative Responses to the Human Resource Challenge for CBR , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 23 No. 4 (2012): Winter
- Acheampong Enoch, Anthony Kwaku Edusei, Okyere Paul, Akohene Kofi Mensah, Rose Odotei Adjei, Emmanuel Appiah-Brempong, “We are not getting jobs”: Job seeking Problems of People with Disability and Coping Strategies adopted in an Urban Traditional Community in Ghana , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 27 No. 1 (2016): Spring 2016
- Nainika Seth, Megha Dhillon, Intersections of Disability and Gender in Sports: Experiences of Indian Female Athletes , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 30 No. 3 (2019): Autumn 2019
- Bob Bowers, Pim Kuipers, Pat Dorsett, A 10-Year Literature Review of the Impact of CommunityBased Rehabilitation , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 26 No. 2 (2015): Summer 2015
- Nathan Grills, Lawrence Singh, Hira Pant, Jubin Varghese, GVS Murthy, Monsurul Hoq, Manjula Marella, Access to Services and Barriers faced by People with Disabilities: A Quantitative Survey , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 28 No. 2 (2017): Summer 2017
- Sunil Deepak, Ládia Rufino dos Santos, Giampiero Griffo, Deolinda Bitencourt de Santana, Jayanth Kumar, Santosh Bapu, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and Community-based Rehabilitation , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 24 No. 3 (2013): Autumn
- Shaun R Cleaver, Lilian Magalhaes, Virginia Bond, Stephanie A Nixon, Exclusion through Attempted Inclusion: Research Experiences with Disabled Persons’ Organisations (DPOs) in Western Zambia , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 28 No. 4 (2017): Winter 2017
- Zinia T Nujum, TV Anilkumar, K Vijayakumar, TS Anish, Hisham Moosan, A Framework for Healthcare Provision to Children with Intellectual Disability , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 23 No. 4 (2012): Winter
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.