A theoretical discussion of the impact of stigma on psychological adjustment to having a sexually transmissible infection Newton, Danielle C. and McCabe, Marita 2005, A theoretical discussion of the impact of stigma on psychological adjustment to having a sexually transmissible infection, Sexual health, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 63-69, doi: 10.1071/SH04015. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads Title A theoretical discussion of the impact of stigma on psychological adjustment to having a sexually transmissible infection Author(s) Newton, Danielle C. orcid.org/0000-0002-8177-8847 McCabe, Marita Journal name Sexual health Volume number 2 Issue number 2 Start page 63 End page 69 Publisher C S I R O Publishing Place of publication Australia Publication date 2005-06 ISSN 1448-5028 1449-8987 Keyword(s) genital herpes genital human papilloma virus Summary This paper provides a discussion of the utility of stigma theory as a conceptual framework for the interpretation and analysis of the psychological impact of contracting a sexually transmissible infection (STI). Most particularly, it focuses on those viral infections that cannot be medically cured, such as genital herpes and genital human papilloma virus. Recent research in the area of STIs suggests that the stigma associated with these conditions can hinder psychosocial and sexual adjustment post-diagnosis, and provides support for the use of stigma theory as a conceptual framework with which to analyse these experiences. This paper defines the concept of stigma and presents a theoretical overview of the process of stigmatisation. Three dimensions of stigma relevant to the experience of having a STI are then presented: the degree of concealability of the condition including the social consequences of concealing a condition; the origin of the condition; and the degree of peril presented by the condition. An overview of the way in which the presence of a stigmatising condition such as a STI may affect a person’s feelings of self and his/her intimate relationships is then presented. Finally, the implications of stigma theory as a conceptual framework for guiding future research in the area of personal and interpersonal reactions to STIs is discussed. Language eng DOI 10.1071/SH04015 Field of Research 170113 Social and Community Psychology HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal Copyright notice ©2005, CSIRO Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30003230 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Health School of Psychology Related Links Link Description Connect to published version (restricted access) Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Tue, 14 Oct 2008, 15:15:57 EST Thu, 09 Apr 2009, 10:59:25 EST Fri, 13 Jun 2014, 23:13:51 EST Mon, 19 Jan 2015, 10:15:12 EST Fri, 06 Feb 2015, 10:11:36 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 0 times in TR Web of Science Cited 20 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 886 Abstract Views, 0 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Mon, 07 Jul 2008, 08:47:09 EST