Associations between stigma and depression among college-attending women with endometriosis symptoms

Julia Mandeville, Valerie A. Earnshaw, Cheyu Zhang, Lauren Cardoso, Lauren Ferreira Cardoso, Jhumka Gupta
Journal of American college health : J of ACH · 2024 · vol. 73(3) , pp. 989–999 · doi:10.1080/07448481.2024.2422319 · PMID:39514816 · W4404173671
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

College-attending women reporting endometriosis symptoms experience stigma, which is significantly linked to depressive symptoms, suggesting stigma reduction may improve mental health.

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Abstract

Background: Endometriosis is a debilitating and highly stigmatized chronic condition. The relationship between stigma and depressive symptoms among college-attending women with endometriosis symptoms was examined. Method: Data were analyzed from a cross-sectional online survey of undergraduate women (N = 424). Mean anticipated, internalized, and enacted stigma values were calculated. Logistic regression assessed the relationship between stigma score and depressive symptoms. Results: Mean stigma scores were 1.98 (anticipated), 1.46 (internalized), and 1.59 (enacted) on a 5-point scale (1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest); 24.1% reported moderately severe/severe depressive symptoms. In adjusted models, stigma was associated with an increased likelihood of moderately severe/severe depressive symptoms (anticipated (aOR = 1.96, 95% CI:1.49-2.59); internalized (aOR =2.67, 95% CI: 1.88-3.85); enacted (aOR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.16-1.42)). Conclusion: College attending-women with endometriosis symptoms experience stigma which is significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Stigma reducing interventions are warranted and may have mental health benefits.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Depression Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (100)

Cited by (1)

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europepmc
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