Perception of Stigmatisation among Adult Sickle Cell Disease Patients in South-South, Nigeria

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) impacts the physical, emotional and psychological aspects of life of the affected persons, often times exposing them to disease-associated stigmatization from family members and/or the community and this in turn affects their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). There is paucity of data from southern Nigeria as regards stigmatization among SCD patients, hence this study was aimed at determining the level of stigmatization amongst them. Methodology: It was a cross-sectional study involving two hundred and twenty-four SCD patients recruited from three well recognized health facilities that offer comprehensive care for individuals with SCD in Benin City, Nigeria. The measure of sickle cell stigma and the sickle cell disease health-related stigma scale psychometric tools were used for this study. Results: One hundred and sixty- four (73.2%) participants were not married despite attaining marriageable age. One hundred and seventy-one (76.1%) were dependents, living with their friends and family members. Sixty-eight (47.7%) had a severe disease course and one hundred and eighty-five (82.6%) had perceived/ experienced stigmatization. Conclusion: The study found a high prevalence of stigmatization among SCD patients.