Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory gynecologic disease affecting 5–10% of women of reproductive age of all ethnicities. Symptoms of this painful condition impact the physical, mental health, a...

People living with a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) die earlier than the general population due to preventable medical conditions. Latinos living with SMI are a particularly vulnerable population with higher prevalence of chronic medical conditions. Stigma has been identified as a factor that fosters health inequities for Latinos/as with SMI, particularly Puerto Ricans. Although personal and social consequences of stigmatization have been well documented, research regarding the role of cultural factors on healthcare interactions is scarce. Furthermore, little research has focused on addressing stigma from the perspective of healthcare professionals. We investigated this process through a qualitative design using semi-structured individual interviews with 11 healthcare professionals (8 physicians and 3 nurses) in Puerto Rico. We conducted a thematic analysis to analyze the data. Following a thematic analysis, we found three main themes and nine sub-themes related to the stigmatization process. Some participants reported perceptions of dangerousness and uneasiness, social distance and inadequate care. Participants also emphasized a lack of medical training regarding SMI within the Puerto Rican context. These findings support the need to develop culturally appropriate public health interventions targeting healthcare professionals in order to address stigma and eliminate health disparities among Latinos/as with SMI.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) were at increased risk for mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic, with prior data suggesting women may be particularly vulnerable. Our global mental health study aimed to examine factors associated with gender differences in psychological distress and depressive symptoms among HCWs during COVID-19. Across 22 countries in South America, Europe, Asia and Africa, 32,410 HCWs participated in the COVID-19 HEalth caRe wOrkErS (HEROES) study between March 2020 and February 2021. They completed the General Health Questionnaire-12, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and questions about pandemic-relevant exposures. Consistently across countries, women reported elevated mental health problems compared to men. Women also reported increased COVID-19-relevant stressors, including insufficient personal protective equipment and less support from colleagues, while men reported increased contact with COVID-19 patients. At the country level, HCWs in countries with higher gender inequality reported less mental health problems. Higher COVID-19 mortality rates were associated with increased psychological distress merely among women. Our findings suggest that among HCWs, women may have been disproportionately exposed to COVID-19-relevant stressors at the individual and country level. This highlights the importance of considering gender in emergency response efforts to safeguard women’s well-being and ensure healthcare system preparedness during future public health crises.

Endometriosis is a complex disease affecting approximately 5–10% individuals worldwide. Prevalence rates in Latin-America and the Caribbean are largely unknown, with published data only from Puerto Rico and Chile. Pain associated with endometriosis negatively affects patients’ health and quality of life. However, there is a need to better understand the role played by psychosocial variables such as stigma and social support in diverse cultural contexts. The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of endometriosis related stigma (endo-stigma) and the moderating role of social support on the endometriosis QoL and self-esteem among women with endometriosis from Latin America and the Caribbean. A cross-sectional design with online survey techniques was implemented. A total of 169 self-identified cisgender women with endometriosis from 14 Latin-American and Caribbean countries participated in the study. We used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to examine the study’s hypotheses. Incapacitating pain was positively and significantly related to endometriosis QoL as measured by the EHP-5 (b = .266, p < .01). Endo-stigma was positively and significantly related to endometriosis QoL (b = .340, p< .01) and self-esteem (b = .297, p< .01). In addition, endo-stigma mediated the relationship between incapacitating pain and self-esteem (IE = .073, p = .018). Finally, social support moderated the relationship between stigma stress and endometriosis QoL (b = .060, p = .039). Findings suggest stigma could be one of the mechanisms through which the relationship between incapacitating pain and self-esteem among Latin American and Caribbean women with endometriosis could be partially explained. Furthermore, women who scored high in the need for social support and stigma stress also showed worst endometriosis QoL. These results point towards the need to develop tailored interventions targeting these factors in order to foster a better QoL and wellbeing for this population in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean.