Exploring Stigma by Association among Front-Line Care Providers Serving Sex Workers

Abstract

Stigma by association, also referred to as "courtesy stigma," involves public disapproval evoked as a consequence of associating with stigmatized persons. While a small number of sociological studies have shown how stigma by association limits the social support and social opportunities available to family members, there is a paucity of research examining this phenomenon among the large network of persons who provide health and social services to stigmatized groups. This paper presents results from a primarily qualitative study of the workplace experiences of a purposive sample of staff from an organization providing services to sex workers. The findings suggest that stigma by association has an impact on staff health because it shapes both the workplace environment as well as staff perceptions of others' support. At the same time, it is evident that some staff, owing to their more advantaged social location, are better able to manage courtesy stigma than others. RésuméLa stigmatisation par association, aussi appelée « stigmatisation de courtoisie », implique une désapprobation publique évoquée comme conséquence d'une association avec des personnes stigmatisées. Bien qu'un petit nombre d' études sociologiques aient démontré comment la stigmatisation par association limite le soutien social et les possibilités sociales pour les membres d'une famille, il y a peu de recherches qui se penchent sur ce phénomène dans le vaste réseau de personnes qui fournissent des services de santé et sociaux à des groupes stigmatisés. Cet article présente les résultats provenant d'une étude principalement qualitative de l' expérience en milieu de travail d'un échantillon choisi à dessein parmi les membres du personnel d'un organisme qui fournit des services à des travailleurs du sexe. Les résultats font voir que la stigmatisation par association a un impact sur la santé du personnel parce qu' elle donne forme à l' environnement de travail aussi bien qu' à la perception, par le personnel, du soutien reçu par les autres. En même temps, il est évident qu' en raison d'une situation sociale plus avantageuse, certains membres du personnel sont plus en mesure que d' autres de faire face à la stigmatisation par courtoisie.

Healthcare providers on the frontlines: a qualitative investigation of the social and emotional impact of delivering health services during Sierra Leone’s Ebola epidemic

“…Rather, the protracted stigma described by providers appeared to be linked to fears of Ebola transmission and nosocomial infection. However, as the epidemic evolves, more pointed research into the nature of stigma and the potential emergence of courtesy stigma, or stigma by association, may merit further investigation across types of health facilities and types of providers ( Phillips and Benoit 2013 ).…”

Stigma by Association Among Family Members of People with a Mental Illness: A Qualitative Analysis

“…Family members of PWMI appeared to make specific choices with regard to which social networks and social events they wanted to maintain. It is possible that these participants were sensitive to negative experiences, including SBA, and thus avoided social experiences and social events to reduce the risk of rejection and stress (Philips & Benoit, ). Withdrawal from one's social network and social events might also have been necessary to prevent emotional exhaustion (Verhaeghe & Bracke, ).…”

Experiences of stigma by association among family members of people with mental illness.

“…Family members of PWMI appeared to make specific choices with regard to which social networks and social events they wanted to maintain. It is possible that these participants were sensitive to negative experiences, including SBA, and thus avoided social experiences and social events to reduce the risk of rejection and stress (Philips & Benoit, 2013). Withdrawal from one's social network and social events might also have been necessary to prevent emotional exhaustion (Verhaeghe & Bracke, 2012).…”