Understanding stigma: Concept and measurement

This project aims to improve the conceptual clarity of stigma and the coherence in the stigma research by aligning the measures of stigma more closely to the definition and vice versa. Thereby we contribute to stigma research by improving the clarity of what stigma more precisely is, and by offering better guidance on how to measure it. These are important contributions for other research
that aim to increase knowledge about the occurrence and health-impact of stigma, or about how stigma can be reduced. The project will be conducted by means of (philosophical) conceptual analysis and by systematic literature review and mapping. The outcomes of the project are a critical conceptual analysis of existing definitions of stigma, a mapping of the various measures of stigma
and their different approaches to the phenomenon of stigma, an improved definition of stigma, and guidelines to help measure stigma more accurately.