Abstract
Stigma has been under-addressed in the population of adults living with eczema [ALWE], but according to the participants of the participatory research project conducted by the first author and second author, ‘Stigma’ stood out in their living experience with eczema. The research project spanning from year 2015 to 2017 collected qualitative data from 47 Cantonese-speaking ALWE (aged 18-63; 16 males, 31 females) in focus groups, in-depth interviews and conscience dialogue (newly adapted data collection method). Findings revealed that sources of stigma include healthcare professionals, family members, layperson, and participants themselves. ALWE felt they are devalued from a fully capacity person which the conditions of eczema have been drawn as the foreground, that they perceived they have been judged based on the overt symptoms and persisted scratch. The symptoms of eczema and uncertainty of illness course has attributed to the felt/ internalised stigma, where mistaken knowledge of eczema as contagious by layperson has constituted the enacted stigma. In the participatory research project, the participants have discussed that public education to healthcare professionals, family members, and layperson would help reducing the felt/ internalised stigma and enacted stigma; and support group among ALWE would enhance them to cope and to protect from adverse effect of stigma, and would develop collective social action in addressing stigma towards a just and humane society.
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