Identifiable Characteristics and Potentially Malleable Beliefs Predict Stigmatizing Attributions Toward Persons With Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia: Results of a Survey of the U.S. General Public

ABSTRACT

The general public’s views can influence whether people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) experience stigma. The purpose of this study was to understand what characteristics in the general public are associated with stigmatizing attributions. A random sample of adults from the general population read a vignette about a man with mild Alzheimer’s disease dementia and completed a modified Family Stigma in Alzheimer’s Disease Scale (FS-ADS). Multivariable ordered logistic regressions were used to examine relationships between personal characteristics and FS-ADS ratings. Older respondents expected that persons with AD would receive less support (OR = 0.82, p = .001), have social interactions limited by others (OR = 1.13, p = .04), and face institutional discrimination (OR = 1.13, p = .04). Females reported stronger feelings of pity (OR = 1.57, p = .03) and weaker reactions to negative aesthetic features (OR = 0.67, p = .05). Those who believed strongly that AD was a mental illness rated symptoms more severely (OR = 1.78, p = .007). Identifiable characteristics and beliefs in the general public are related to stigmatizing attributions toward AD. To reduce AD stigma, public health messaging campaigns can tailor information to subpopulations, recognizable by their age, gender, and beliefs.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mark Carey, PhD, for his consultation regarding study design and statistical analysis.

Funding

This study was funded by the Penn Neurodegenerative Disease Ethics and Policy Program and the Healthy Brain Research Center, supported in part by NIA P30 AG01024 and cooperative agreements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prevention Research Centers Program (U48 DP 005006, 005002, 005053, 005000, and 005013). The funding source had no involvement in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of data, writing of the report, or the decision to submit the article for publication.

Human participant protection

The Institutional Review Board of the University of Pennsylvania approved all procedures involving human subjects.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Penn Neurodegenerative Disease Ethics and Policy Program and the Healthy Brain Research Center, supported in part by NIA P30 AG01024 and cooperative agreements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prevention Research Centers Program (U48 DP 005006, 005002, 005053, 005000, and 005013). The funding source had no involvement in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of data, writing of the report, or the decision to submit the article for publication.

Notes on contributors

Shana D. Stites

S. Stites wrote the initial draft of the article. S. Stites, J. Karlawish, and D. Xie conducted the analyses. All authors conceptualized the article, interpreted the findings, and edited the article.