Publication:

Social stigma among tuberculosis patients attending an urban health training centre in central India: a cross-sectional study

Background Tuberculosis (TB) in India contributes a large share of the global burden. Beyond physical illness, patients often face emotional strain, discrimination and unfavourable community attitudes that hinder care-seeking and adherence. Knowing how common stigma is and what drives it, is important for TB control.

Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at an urban health training centre of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Central India between November 2025 and April 2026. Eighty diagnosed TB patients aged ≥18 years were recruited by convenience sampling. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and the Van Rie TB Stigma Scale. Statistical analysis used: Associations were examined using the Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test where expected cell counts were small, with statistical significance set at p<0.05.

Results Males predominated (48 vs 32); the commonest age group was 18–30 years. Pulmonary TB was present in 56 patients and extrapulmonary TB in 24. On the stigma scale, 18 (22.5%) had low, 38 (47.5%) moderate and 24 (30.0%) high stigma, thus 77.5% experienced moderate-to-high stigma. Stigma was significantly associated with socio-economic status (p=0.017) but not education (p=0.59) or occupation (p=0.68).

Conclusions A sizeable proportion of TB patients experienced moderate-to-high social stigma, a notable psychosocial burden in TB care. Community awareness, patient counselling and supportive training for health workers may help reduce stigma and improve treatment outcomes.