The impacts of stigma and prejudice on leprosy patients: an integrative literature review

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the impacts of stigma and prejudice on those responsible for leprosy. Methods: This is an integrative literature review carried out in the PubMed and Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences databases, using keys included in the Health Sciences Descriptors, in their variants in English and Portuguese, “leprosy”, “stigma” in the Portuguese version and “leprosy”, “stigma” in the English version. Results: 293 articles were created and, after determining eligibility, 17 articles was selected for review. From the reading of the concepts and prejudices conceived in their relationships, the social impacts of health are not respected. Final considerations: The person associated with leprosy is in addition to the anguish and anxiety to stigmatize the patient, because fighting the threat that a disease presents represents additional to his bodily presentation, he also has to suffer from the impacts on his health mental health and its psychosocial relationships.