LEPROSY
Leprosy Review
0305-7518
British Leprosy Relief Association
Colchester, UK
06-5076
0305-7518/18/064053+12
10.47276/lr.89.1.65
Original Papers
The differences in leprosy-related stigma between 30 sub-districts in Cirebon District, Indonesia
PetersRuth M.H.
aIrwanto
da
Athena Institute, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
b
Netherlands Leprosy Relief, Technical Department, Wibautstraat 137k, 1097 DN Amsterdam, The Netherlands
c
Disability Studies, VUmc, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
d
Faculty of Psychology, Atma Jaya Catholic University, Jalan Jenderal Sudirman 56, Jakarta 12930, Indonesia
Correspondence to: Jessica Michgelsen, Athena Institute, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands (e-mail: Jessica.michgelsen@gmail.com)
01032018
89
1
65
76
20122017
© Lepra
2018
Objective:
Leprosy-related stigma varies in intensity in different contexts, yet it seems that no research has been conducted on the differences in the level of stigma within a specific area at geographical level. The aim of this study is to determine differences in leprosy-related stigma between 30 sub-districts in Cirebon District.
Methods:
Data were retrieved from the SARI Project. Two stigma assessment tools were used for leprosy-affected people (P-scale and SSS) and two for unaffected people (EMIC-CSS and SDS). Differences in median scores were analysed using a Kruskal-Wallis H test, and maps of the median scores per sub-district were created.
Results:
Significant differences were found between specific sub-districts in the EMIC-CSS, P-scale and SSS-scores. The highest median scores of stigma scores for both affected and unaffected participants were reported in the sub-district Waled (SSS: 29.9, P-scale: 19.5, EMIC-CSS: 19.2, SDS: 13.2), but participants from Astanajapura scored higher on the EMIC-CSS (19.7). Low median scores were found in Weru (respectively 7.7, 4.9, 7.0, 7.3). Furthermore, stigma scores in Eastern subdistricts were significantly higher than in Western sub-districts (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
This study showed significant differences in leprosy-related stigma between East and West Cirebon, and various sub-districts. The data from the different instruments used showed a strong concordance. More research is needed to examine the underlying mechanisms for the differences in Cirebon District and to identify differences in other areas. The findings of this study are relevant for policymakers, health service managers and researchers.