Health Literacy, Perceived Stigma, Self-Efficacy, and HRQOL in Sickle Cell Disease

• Published in: Western journal of nursing research Vol. 45; no. 4; p. 335
• Main Authors: O'Brien, Julia A, Hickman, Jr, Ronald L, Burant, Christopher, Dolansky, Mary, Padrino, Susan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Adult; Anemia, Sickle Cell; Cross-Sectional Studies; Health Literacy; Humans; Quality of Life; Self Efficacy; Social Stigma; pain; stigma; health-related quality of life; self-efficacy; sickle cell disease
• DOI: 10.1177/01939459221135331

Little is known about the relationships among self-efficacy, social determinants of health, and health outcomes in adults living with sickle cell disease (SCD). We conducted mediation analyses examining the relationships among health literacy, perceived stigma, self-efficacy, and health outcomes in an online cohort of adults living with SCD. The health outcomes explored were physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and pain interference; covariates included gender, disease severity, and depressive symptoms. Data came from a cross-sectional, descriptive study of 60 adults with SCD. Perceived stigma and self-efficacy had significant relationships with the study outcomes, while health literacy did not. Self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between perceived stigma and physical HRQOL, when controlling for depressive symptoms. Future research should investigate the influence of stigma and self-efficacy on health outcomes in patients with SCD and consider stigma when creating interventions to modify self-efficacy.