ArticleJournal of evaluation in clinical practice2022
On the definition of stigma.
Article in Journal of evaluation in clinical practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Attitudes of Healthcare Professionals Working in Primary Healthcare Towards People with Mental Illness: A Systematic Review.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Pooled it
- Structural weight stigma in healthcare toward preconception, pregnant, and postpartum women: A systematic review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025Pooled it
- Measurement Instruments Assessing Multi-Faceted Stigma Regarding Sexual and Gender Minorities: A Systematic Review of Psychometric Properties.AIDS and behavior · 2024Pooled it
- I Didn't Want the Psychotic Thing to Get Out to Anyone at All: Adolescents with Early Onset Psychosis Managing Stigma.Culture, medicine and psychiatry · 2024Trial
- Stigma experiences among young and middle-aged testicular cancer survivors in China: A phenomenological study.Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing · 2026Article
- The Utility of Psychological Capital Theory in Rural Adolescent Mental Health Research.Clinical child psychology and psychiatry · 2026Article
- Gender and Contraception in Kenya: a Scoping Review.Reproductive health · 2026Article
- A Timely Exploratory Study of Young Adults' Psychosexual Responses to the UK's New Age Verification Law on Online Pornography.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2026Article
- Evaluating the Psychometric Properties of the Indonesian Version of the Stroke Stigma Scale Among Indonesian Stroke Survivors.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Stigma Associated With Academic Failure in Nursing Education: A Triangulated Qualitative Study of Nursing Students and Nurse Educators.Nursing open · 2026Article
- HIV Stigma Reduction Interventions in People Living with HIV in the United States: A Systematic Review.AIDS and behavior · 2026Article
- Cross sectional examination of public perceptions around substance misuse using state behavioral risk factor surveillance system data.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Mental Health Nurses' Perceived Appropriateness of Coercive Measures and Security Technologies in Psychiatric Settings: A National Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing · 2026Article
- Effects of Anti-Stigma Messages on Public Stigmatisation of Gambling Disorder: a Randomised Online Experiment.Journal of gambling studies · 2026Article
- Assessment of Public Stigma Towards People with Mental Health Problems.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2026Article
- Shame over tooth loss: between psychological suffering and structural inequality in Chilean oral health.Salud colectiva · 2026Article
- Stigma experiences among Chinese middle-aged women with pelvic floor disorders: a qualitative study.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- Cannabis stigma and symptom management considerations in cancer survivors: a mixed-methods exploration of patient perspectives.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Observational
- Stigmatisation of Gambling Disorder, Alcohol Use Disorder and Internet Use Disorder: Results of an Experimental Vignette Study.Journal of gambling studies · 2026Article
- "What's wrong with me?": Women's perceptions of gendered infertility stigma.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2026Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere are thousands of papers about stigma, for instance about stigma's impact on wellbeing, mental or physical health. But the definition of stigma has received only modest attention. In "Conceptualizing stigma" from 2001, Link and Phelan offer a thorough and detailed definition of stigma. They suggest that there are six necessary conditions for stigma, namely labelled differences, stereotypes, separation, status loss and discrimination, power, and emotional reaction. This definition is widely applied in the literature but is left mainly uncriticized.
methodWe submit the Link and Phelan definition of stigma to a systematic conceptual analysis. We first interpret, analyze and reconsider each of the six components in Link and Phelan's definition of stigma, and on the basis of these analyses, we secondly suggest a revised definition of stigma.
resultThe Link and Phelan definition is thorough and detailed, but includes redundant components. These are status loss and discrimination, and emotional reaction.
conclusionWe suggest that groups, not individuals, are the target of stigma, though it is individuals who may be the victims of it. We suggest a revised definition of stigma that is more simple, precise, and consistent with the empirical literature on stigma; there is stigma if and only if there is labelling, negative stereotyping, linguistic separation, and power asymmetry.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.