A study of stigma among Iranian family caregivers of patients with multiple sclerosis: A descriptive explorative qualitative study.

AIM: This study was done to investigate the experiences of family caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) about stigmatization in Iranian health care context. BACKGROUND: Stigmatization has been observed obviously among patients with MS but few studies have been conducted on stigma among the family caregivers of these patients. METHODS: This qualitative study with thematic analysis was done to explore this issue. Fourteen family caregivers of patients with MS were selected by purposive sampling. The data were collected through in-depth and unstructured interviews. RESULTS: Four main subthemes emerged from the analysis of the transcripts: "feeling shame", "fear of being ridiculed by others", "ignored by family" and "concealing disease to be secure against the perceptions of disease". CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare professionals should be encouraged to inform caregivers about social engagement strategies and to train them on the management of stigma as an important factor for the reduction of their social problems.