Table 4 Responses of patients to the stigma scale (blame and judgment) about type 2 DM, Al-Najaf Governorate, Iraq, 2022
From: Stigma perception and determinants among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Iraq
Subscale | Responses No. (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blame and judgment | Strongly disagree No. (%) | Disagree No. (%) | Unsure No. (%) | Agree No. (%) | Strongly agree No. (%) |
I have been told that I brought my type 2 diabetes on myself | 17(3.9) | 172 (40.1) | 27 (6.3) | 190 (44.3) | 23 (5.4) |
There is blame and shame surrounding type 2 diabetes | 32 (7.5) | 262 (61.1) | 31 (7.2) | 95 (22.1) | 9 (2.1) |
Because I have type 2 diabetes, some people assume I must be overweight, or have been in the past | 19(4.4) | 155 (36.1) | 37 (8.6) | 171(39.9) | 47(11) |
Health professionals think that people with type 2 diabetes don’t know how to take care of themselves | 21 (4.9) | 187(43.6) | 29 (6.7) | 174 (40.6) | 18(4.2) |
Because of my type 2 diabetes, health professionals have made negative judgments about me | 35 (8.2) | 233 (54.3) | 36 (8.4) | 115 (26.8) | 10 (2.3) |
There is a negative stigma about type 2 diabetes being a “lifestyle disease” | 25(5.8) | 220(51.3) | 63(14.7) | 111(25.9) | 10(2.3) |
Because I have type 2 diabetes, some people judge me for my food choices | 13(3) | 157(36.6) | 32(7.4) | 198(46.2) | 29(6.8) |