Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Stigma In Medical Settings As Reported Retrospectively By Women With Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (Cah) For Their Childhood And Adolescence, Heino F.L. Meyer-Bahlburg, Jananne Khuri, Jazmin Reyes-Portillo, Maria I. New

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Objectives To perform a qualitative study of stigma experienced in medical settings by children and adolescents with congenital genital ambiguity (CGA). Methods 62 women with classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) of variable severity took part in a qualitative retrospective interview that focused on the impact of CAH and its medical treatment, with an emphasis on childhood and adolescence. Categorization of stigmatization was based on deductive content analysis of the interview transcripts. Results Many women recalled experiencing the genital examinations in childhood and adolescence as adverse, stigmatizing events, leading to avoidance reactions and self-perception as abnormal, particularly when the examinations included …