Perceived health-related stigma among patients with breast cancer

Abstract

Breast cancer survivors face many challenges (particularly changes in body image) on their road to restoring physical and psychosocial health following diagnosis. Perceived health-related stigma (PHS) refers to the attachment of negative connotations to some types of disease diagnoses. PHS is common among patients with breast cancer and is associated with adverse emotions, attitudes and behaviors. This article summarizes the latest advances and new perspectives on PHS of breast cancer patients and approaches to block this deleterious process. Effects of PHS on patients with breast cancer, in this paper, and measures, predictors and interventions of PHS have been discussed in depth. Future studies should continue to develop more effective instruments that are specialized for measuring PHS of breast cancer patients, explore the predictors of PHS, and discuss effective interventions on the basis of the predictors.