IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v147y2015icp184-189.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An internet forum analysis of stigma power perceptions among women seeking fertility treatment in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Jansen, Natalie Anne
  • Saint Onge, Jarron M.

Abstract

Infertility is a condition that affects nearly 30 percent of women aged 25–44 in the United States. Though past research has addressed the stigmatization of infertility, few have done so in the context of stigma management between fertile and infertile women. In order to assess evidence of felt and enacted stigma, we employed a thematic content analysis of felt and enacted stigma in an online infertility forum, Fertile Thoughts, to analyze 432 initial threads by women in various stages of the treatment-seeking process. We showed that infertile women are frequently stigmatized for their infertility or childlessness and coped through a variety of mechanisms including backstage joshing and social withdrawal. We also found that infertile women appeared to challenge and stigmatize pregnant women for perceived immoral behaviors or lower social status. We argue that while the effects of stigma power are frequently perceived and felt in relationships between infertile women and their fertile peers, the direction of the enacted stigma is related to social standing and feelings of fairness and reinforces perceived expressions of deserved motherhood in the United States.

Suggested Citation

  • Jansen, Natalie Anne & Saint Onge, Jarron M., 2015. "An internet forum analysis of stigma power perceptions among women seeking fertility treatment in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 184-189.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:147:y:2015:i:c:p:184-189
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953615302100
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.11.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hatzenbuehler, M.L. & Phelan, J.C. & Link, B.G., 2013. "Stigma as a fundamental cause of population health inequalities," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(5), pages 813-821.
    2. Parker, Richard & Aggleton, Peter, 2003. "HIV and AIDS-related stigma and discrimination: a conceptual framework and implications for action," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 13-24, July.
    3. Phelan, Jo C. & Link, Bruce G. & Dovidio, John F., 2008. "Stigma and prejudice: One animal or two?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 358-367, August.
    4. Pescosolido, Bernice A. & Martin, Jack K. & Lang, Annie & Olafsdottir, Sigrun, 2008. "Rethinking theoretical approaches to stigma: A Framework Integrating Normative Influences on Stigma (FINIS)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 431-440, August.
    5. Greil, Arthur L., 1997. "Infertility and psychological distress: A critical review of the literature," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 45(11), pages 1679-1704, December.
    6. Donkor, Ernestina S. & Sandall, Jane, 2007. "The impact of perceived stigma and mediating social factors on infertility-related stress among women seeking infertility treatment in Southern Ghana," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(8), pages 1683-1694, October.
    7. Brewis, Alexandra A. & Hruschka, Daniel J. & Wutich, Amber, 2011. "Vulnerability to fat-stigma in women's everyday relationships," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(4), pages 491-497, August.
    8. Greil, Arthur L. & McQuillan, Julia & Lowry, Michele & Shreffler, Karina M., 2011. "Infertility treatment and fertility-specific distress: A longitudinal analysis of a population-based sample of U.S. women," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 87-94, July.
    9. Link, Bruce G. & Phelan, Jo, 2014. "Stigma power," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 24-32.
    10. Slauson-Blevins, Kathleen S. & McQuillan, Julia & Greil, Arthur L., 2013. "Online and in-person health-seeking for infertility," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 110-115.
    11. Barlösius, Eva & Philipps, Axel, 2015. "Felt stigma and obesity: Introducing the generalized other," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 9-15.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Timmermans, Stefan & Tietbohl, Caroline, 2018. "Fifty years of sociological leadership at Social Science and Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 209-215.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Smith-Morris, Carolyn, 2017. "Epidemiological placism in public health emergencies: Ebola in two Dallas neighborhoods," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 106-114.
    2. Clair, Matthew & Daniel, Caitlin & Lamont, Michèle, 2016. "Destigmatization and health: Cultural constructions and the long-term reduction of stigma," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 223-232.
    3. White Hughto, Jaclyn M. & Reisner, Sari L. & Pachankis, John E., 2015. "Transgender stigma and health: A critical review of stigma determinants, mechanisms, and interventions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 222-231.
    4. Frye, Victoria & Paige, Mark Q. & Gordon, Steven & Matthews, David & Musgrave, Geneva & Kornegay, Mark & Greene, Emily & Phelan, Jo C. & Koblin, Beryl A. & Taylor-Akutagawa, Vaughn, 2017. "Developing a community-level anti-HIV/AIDS stigma and homophobia intervention in new York city: The project CHHANGE model," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 45-53.
    5. Bonnington, Oliver & Rose, Diana, 2014. "Exploring stigmatisation among people diagnosed with either bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder: A critical realist analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 7-17.
    6. Cort, David A. & Tu, Hsin Fei, 2018. "Safety in stigmatizing? Instrumental stigma beliefs and protective sexual behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 144-152.
    7. Timmermans, Stefan & Tietbohl, Caroline, 2018. "Fifty years of sociological leadership at Social Science and Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 209-215.
    8. Carmen H Logie & Jesse I R Jenkinson & Valerie Earnshaw & Wangari Tharao & Mona R Loutfy, 2016. "A Structural Equation Model of HIV-Related Stigma, Racial Discrimination, Housing Insecurity and Wellbeing among African and Caribbean Black Women Living with HIV in Ontario, Canada," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(9), pages 1-20, September.
    9. Rivers, Ian & Gonzalez, Cesar & Nodin, Nuno & Peel, Elizabeth & Tyler, Allan, 2018. "LGBT people and suicidality in youth: A qualitative study of perceptions of risk and protective circumstances," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1-8.
    10. Ida Viktoria Kolte & Lucia Pereira & Aparecida Benites & Islândia Maria Carvalho de Sousa & Paulo Cesar Basta, 2020. "The contribution of stigma to the transmission and treatment of tuberculosis in a hyperendemic indigenous population in Brazil," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(12), pages 1-13, December.
    11. Frederick, Angela, 2017. "Visibility, respectability, and disengagement: The everyday resistance of mothers with disabilities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 131-138.
    12. Felner, Jennifer K. & Dudley, Terry D. & Ramirez-Valles, Jesus, 2018. "“Anywhere but here": Querying spatial stigma as a social determinant of health among youth of color accessing LGBTQ services in Chicago's Boystown," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 181-189.
    13. Keetie Roelen & Caroline Ackley & Paul Boyce & Nicolas Farina & Santiago Ripoll, 2020. "COVID-19 in LMICs: The Need to Place Stigma Front and Centre to Its Response," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(5), pages 1592-1612, December.
    14. Coreil, Jeannine & Mayard, Gladys & Simpson, Kelly M. & Lauzardo, Michael & Zhu, Yiliang & Weiss, Mitchell, 2010. "Structural forces and the production of TB-related stigma among Haitians in two contexts," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(8), pages 1409-1417, October.
    15. Tiziana Ramaci & Massimiliano Barattucci & Caterina Ledda & Venerando Rapisarda, 2020. "Social Stigma during COVID-19 and its Impact on HCWs Outcomes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-13, May.
    16. Mejia-Lancheros, Cilia & Lachaud, James & Woodhall-Melnik, Julia & O'Campo, Patricia & Hwang, Stephen W. & Stergiopoulos, Vicky, 2021. "Longitudinal interrelationships of mental health discrimination and stigma with housing and well-being outcomes in adults with mental illness and recent experience of homelessness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    17. Duan, Wenjie & Bu, He & Chen, Zheng, 2020. "COVID-19-related stigma profiles and risk factors among people who are at high risk of contagion," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    18. Tenkorang, Eric Y., 2017. "Ebola-related stigma in Ghana: Individual and community level determinants," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 142-149.
    19. Gavan, Luana & Hartog, Kim & Koppenol-Gonzalez, Gabriela V. & Gronholm, Petra C. & Feddes, Allard R. & Kohrt, Brandon A. & Jordans, Mark J.D. & Peters, Ruth M.H., 2022. "Assessing stigma in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of scales used with children and adolescents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    20. Bjørnshagen, Vegar, 2021. "The mark of mental health problems. A field experiment on hiring discrimination before and during COVID-19," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:147:y:2015:i:c:p:184-189. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.