Self-stigma in Parents of Young People with Functional Neurological Disorders or Asthma

Posted on 30 October 2024 by Pippa McClounan

Share

New research study from the University of Oxford

It is known that young people with Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) experience a large amount of stigma due to lack of understanding of their condition. Based on previous research of parents of children with other conditions, it is thought that parents of young people with FND will also experience stigma. However, research has not yet been done to understand this group of parents’ experiences.

This study aims to identify whether stigma awareness and self-stigma is higher in parents of young people with FND than parents of young people with a physical health condition (asthma). It also aims to understand whether parents of young people with FND experience higher levels of emotional distress than the control group, and whether this is mediated by levels of self-stigma.

In order to examine this, parents of young people aged 11-17 with a diagnosis of either asthma or FND will complete an online questionnaire about demographic information, awareness of stigma, self stigma and emotional distress. Parents of young people with FND will then be given space to answer qualitative questions about their experiences of self-stigma.

The results will be analysed to help understand the experiences of these parents. It is hoped that this research will help identify areas to address in future therapeutic interventions to reduce parental distress.

Scan the QR code or click this link to take part or email saskia.phelps@worc.ox.ac.uk for more details

Return to news