ArticleBMC psychology2026
"You feel like you have a neon light over your head": A qualitative study examining the experiences and perspectives of family members regarding the stigma of those diagnosed with lung cancer.
Article in BMC psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Network analysis of the interrelationships among stigma, resilience, and self-esteem in lung cancer patients.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeIndividuals with lung cancer (LC) experience significant stigma regarding their diagnosis due to its association with smoking behaviours. To our knowledge, LC sigma has yet to be explored from the perspective of family members. Family members are often the primary caregiver for individuals with LC and as a result may witness firsthand stigmatising behaviours towards their loved ones. Additionally, family members may experience stigma regarding their loved one’s diagnosis due to stigma by association. Thus, the current study sought to investigate their experiences and perspectives of LC stigma.
methodsEight participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. A qualitative, cross-sectional design was implemented using both virtual and in-person semi-structured interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.
resultsFive themes were identified: Stigma through blame: Navigating social assumptions about smoking, Discrimination and unfair treatment from healthcare providers, Feeling judged by association, Contemporary cultural and public views of smoking have fuelled stigma, Cognitive strategies for managing and resisting stigma.
conclusionFamily members perceived their loved ones to have experienced stigma related to their diagnosis through externalised and internalised stigma. Externalised stigma was perceived through stereotypical questioning, blame, judgements, discrimination and unfair treatment. Family members stated that this led to internalised feelings of guilt and shame. Importantly, family members stated they have also experienced stigma by association through external judgements from family and society and a loss of friendships. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS AND FAMILY MEMBERS: Interventions need to be put in place focusing on empathic communication skills for healthcare providers, communication training for family members and interventions focused on helping both survivors and family members cope with the impact of LC stigma. Future research should focus on further examining the experiences and perspectives of family members in order to gain a broader understanding.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.