title: Diagnostic labels, stigma, and participation in research related to dementia and mild cognitive impairment.
abstract: Health care professionals use diagnostic labels to classify individuals for both treatment and research purposes. Despite their clear benefits, diagnostic labels also serve as cues that activate stigma and stereotypes. Stigma associated with the diagnostic labels of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can have a significant and negative impact on interpersonal relationships, interactions with the health care community, attitudes about service utilization, and participation in clinical research. The impact of stigma also extends to the family caregivers of individuals bearing such labels. In this article, we use examples from our investigations of individuals with dementia or MCI and their family caregivers to examine the impact of labeling and stigma on clinical research participation. We also discuss how stigma can affect numerous aspects of the nursing research process. Strategies are presented for addressing stigma-related barriers to participation in clinical research on dementia and MCI.
authors.affiliation: Health and Community Systems Department, The University o Pittsburgh School of Nursing, 415 Victoria Building, 3500 Victoria Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. ligst2@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garand
authors.forename: Jennifer H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lingler
authors.forename: Kyaien O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Conner
authors.forename: Mary Amanda
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dew
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D003463:Cues; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D015399:Nursing Research / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D018579:Patient Selection / Q000941:ethics; D011287:Prejudice; D012107:Research Design; D012660:Semantics; D012944:Social Support; D013240:Stereotyping