Objective: Few studies have reported the status of stigma and the impact of stigma on the quality of life of HBV-infected pregnant women in disclosed situations. This study aims (a) to investigate the current status of the stigma of HBV-infected pregnant women in the situation of disease exposure, (b) to explore the influencing factors of the stigma, and (c) to identify the impacts quality of life.
Method: Using cross-sectional descriptive design and convenience sampling, 270 HBV-infected pregnant women from two infectious hospitals were investigated using the Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infectors' Discrimination Measurement Scale, the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form-36v2, and a demographic questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS20.0.
Results: The total stigma score is (74.05 ± 11.26). The variables of education, the payment method of medical expenses, living with family members, and spouse with hepatitis B virus infection accounted for 35.7% of the variance in the stigma altogether. Stigma is significantly negatively correlated with the quality of life and accounted for 18.1%-20.0% of the variance in scores for quality of life of HBV-infected pregnant women in disclosed situations.
Conclusion: The level of stigma and quality of life is serious in China. the stigma can significantly reduce the quality of life of affected individuals. Health care policy-maker and professionals should pay more attention to this issue and through improving health education, increasing the reimbursement rate of antiviral drugs and the number of professional medical staff to reduce stigma and promote their quality of life.
Keywords: Hepatitis B virus infection; Pregnant women; Quality of life; Stigma.
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