Culture, gender and health care stigma: Practitioners' response to facial masking experienced by people with Parkinson's disease.

ABSTRACT: Facial masking in Parkinson's disease is the reduction of automatic and controlled expressive movement of facial musculature, creating an appearance of apathy, social disengagement or compromised cognitive status. Research in western cultures demonstrates that practitioners form negatively biased impressions associated with patient masking. Socio-cultural norms about facial expressivity vary according to culture and gender, yet little research has studied the effect of these factors on practitioners' responses toward patients who vary in facial expressivity. This study evaluated the effect of masking, culture and gender on practitioners' impressions of patient psychological attributes. Practitioners (N = 284) in the United States and Taiwan judged 12 Caucasian American and 12 Asian Taiwane

SUBMITTER: Tickle-Degnen L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3142938 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature