Yes / Objectives: General practitioners (GPs) are crucial to improving timely diagnosis, but little is reported about how they
perceive dementia, and whether their perceptions display any elements of stigma. The aim of this study was to explore how
GPs’ perceptions of dementia map onto current conceptualizations of stigma and whether GPs feel that stigma affects
timely diagnosis.
Methods: Twenty-three GPs from England were interviewed by telephone. Data were analyzed by means of content
analysis. This involved open coding followed by the application of a coding framework derived from the literature to
explore how and to what extent their perceptions relate to stigma as well as the unique nature of their perceptions.
Results: Three themes emerged from the analysis: (1) ‘making sense of dementia’, (2) ‘relating perceptions of dementia to
oneself’ and (3) ‘considering the consequences of dementia’. GPs’ perceptions of dementia mapped onto current
conceptualizations of stigma. Perceptions about dementia that were linked to their own existential anxiety and to a
perceived similarity between people with dementia and themselves were particularly salient. GPs perceived dementia as a
stigma which was gradually being overcome but that stigma still hindered timely diagnosis. They provided examples of
structural discrimination within the health service, including lack of time for patients and shortcomings in training that
were to the detriment of people with dementia.
Conclusion: Measures to involve GPs in tackling stigma should include training and opportunities to explore how they
perceive dementia, as well as support to address structural discrimination. / The study was funded by Alzheimer Europe (Luxembourg) in the form of tuition fees for Dianne Gove for her PhD study.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/8605 |
| Date | 13 March 2015 |
| Creators | Gove, Dianne M., Downs, Murna G., Vernooij-Dassen, M., Small, Neil A. |
| Source Sets | Bradford Scholars |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Article, Accepted Manuscript |
| Rights | © 2016 Taylor & Francis. This is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Aging & Mental Health in April 2016, available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/13607863.2015.1015962 |
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