Our findings show that caregiver stigma increases caregiver burden in the case of Alzheimer's disease. Using this knowledge, psychosocial interventions should target stigmatic beliefs in order to reduce caregiver burden.

In this study we explored the subjective experience of family stigma as reported by children of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our data indicated that family stigma in the area of AD was primarily experienced in three dimensions: caregivers' stigma, lay public's stigma, and structural stigma. We found that in all these dimensions family stigma follows a process characterized by three core elements: cognitive attributions, emotional reactions, and behavioral responses. Findings of this study highlight the profound stigma confronting caregivers of persons with AD. What emerges is a poignant picture of adult children living with stigmatic beliefs while providing care for their parents with AD. We suggest that swift steps be taken to deal with these stigmatic beliefs. Mainly, structural discrimination must end if all citizens are to receive truly fair and equitable health care services and benefits.

Although the body of literature in the area of HS and dementia is growing, several conceptual and methodological limitations still have to be resolved to advance knowledge in the area.

Although it is widely assumed that persons with Alzheimer disease (AD) and their family caregivers are victims of stigmatization, family stigma in the area of AD has received surprisingly limited attention. Reliable, valid, and user-friendly scales are a first step in expanding this body of knowledge. The aim of this study was to develop and examine the validity of the Family Stigma in Alzheimer's disease Scale. Interviews were conducted with 185 children of persons with AD. A pool of 100 items was identified from the literature and an earlier qualitative study including 3 dimensions (caregivers' stigma, lay persons' stigma, and structural stigma). Exploratory factor analyses, theoretical relevance, and internal reliability analyses allowed us to reduce the pull to 62 items. Regarding construct validity, statistically significant associations were found between family stigma and caregivers' burden and behavioral problems, in most of the scales. Although further testing is warranted, these findings indicate that the Family Stigma in Alzheimer's disease Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing stigma in the context of AD.

was the leader in developing our understanding of the kinetics of metallurgical reactions. Selected recent kinetic studies, based on this understanding and the application of the results to actual processes, are presented in this article. In particular, the rates of reaction of carbon and carbon in iron with CO 2 and H 2 O gases and FeO in slag are reviewed and applied to the iron smelting process. In addition, our basic understanding of the kinetics of the nitrogen reaction with iron is reviewed, and the results are used in comprehensive models, which can predict the nitrogen content in steel as a function of operating variables in the basic oxygen furnace, electric arc furnace (EAF), and vacuum degassing.