title: Stigma in Medical Settings As Reported Retrospectively by Women With Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) for Their Childhood and Adolescence.
abstract: To perform a qualitative study of stigma experienced in medical settings by children and adolescents with congenital genital ambiguity (CGA).
  
  
  
  62 women with classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) of variable severity took part in a qualitative retrospective interview that focused on the impact of CAH and its medical treatment, with an emphasis on childhood and adolescence. Categorization of stigmatization was based on deductive content analysis of the interview transcripts.
  
  
  
  Many women recalled experiencing the genital examinations in childhood and adolescence as adverse, stigmatizing events, leading to avoidance reactions and self-perception as abnormal, particularly when the examinations included groups of trainees. Some women also experienced as adverse the nonverbal and verbal reactions of individual physicians who were unfamiliar with CGA.
  
  
  
  Genital examinations constitute salient events for children and adolescents with CGA. They are easily experienced as strongly stigmatizing, especially when combined with teaching.
authors.affiliation: NYS Psychiatric Institute, Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Heino F L
authors.initials: HFL
authors.lastname: Meyer-Bahlburg
authors.affiliation: NYS Psychiatric Institute, Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jananne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Khuri
authors.affiliation: NYS Psychiatric Institute, Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, Riverside Drive, Unit 15, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jazmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reyes-Portillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Maria I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: New
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000312:Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012649:Self Concept; D057545:Social Stigma; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adolescent; ambiguous genitalia; child; congenital adrenal hyperplasia; disorders of sex development; stigma