The Impact of Anticipated Illness Stigma and Illness Identity on Quality of Life in Men With Hypogonadism: A Comparative Study With Other Chronic Endocrine Diseases
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 尚未招募
- 入组人数
- 90
- 试验地点
- 2
- 主要终点
- Chronic Illness Anticipated Stigma Scale (CIASS) Score
研究概览
简要总结
This study aims to systematically compare the levels of anticipated illness stigma and illness identity among men diagnosed with hypogonadism to those of men with other chronic endocrine conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and hypertension). Furthermore, it examines whether these psychosocial variables predict quality-of-life deterioration specifically within the hypogonadism cohort.
详细描述
Hypogonadism is a chronic endocrine condition characterized by subnormal serum testosterone levels. Unlike other chronic metabolic conditions, hypogonadism directly threatens core attributes of male gender identity, including sexual function, physical capacity, and reproductive potential. While biological manifestations and medical management are well documented, the psychosocial dimensions of hypogonadism, specifically anticipated stigma and illness identity, remain insufficiently explored in clinical research.
Anticipated stigma involves cognitive expectations of negative reactions, judgment, or discrimination from interpersonal, occupational, and healthcare environments. In conditions where illness poses a direct threat to gender role identity, anticipated stigma may be heightened compared to non-identity-threatening chronic conditions such as diabetes or hypertension. Furthermore, the degree to which an individual integrates the diagnosis into their self-concept (illness identity) may interact with anticipated stigma to exacerbate health-related quality-of-life impairments.
This study systematically evaluates anticipated stigma and illness identity in men with hypogonadism in comparison to age-matched controls with other chronic endocrine conditions treated in the same clinical setting. The primary objective is to determine whether anticipated stigma levels differ significantly between these groups and to examine the predictive capacity of anticipated stigma and illness identity on disease-specific symptom burden and quality-of-life outcomes within the hypogonadism cohort.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Observational
- 观察模型
- Case Control
- 时间视角
- Cross Sectional
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- Male
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •Male, aged 18 years or older.
- •Biochemically confirmed hypogonadism (total testosterone < 300 ng/dL with at least one clinical symptom).
- •Regular follow-up at the endocrinology outpatient clinic.
- •Fluent in reading and understanding Turkish.
- •Signed informed consent.
- •Male, aged 18 years or older.
- •Diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, or hypothyroidism under regular endocrinology follow-up.
- •Total testosterone ≥ 300 ng/dL.
- •Age-matched to a participant in the case group (±5 years).
- •Fluent in reading and understanding Turkish.
- •Signed informed consent.
排除标准
- •Active psychiatric diagnosis (e.g., active psychosis, bipolar disorder).
- •Chronic inflammatory or rheumatological diseases affecting body composition (e.g., chronic kidney disease, IBD, rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, ankylosing spondylitis).
- •Uncontrolled co-existing endocrine conditions or severe complications (e.g., HbA1c > 8.0%, diabetic neuropathy/nephropathy/retinopathy, non-euthyroid state).
- •Cognitive impairment or dementia precluding questionnaire completion.
- •Klinefelter syndrome.
- •Literacy limitations preventing completion of self-report measures.
- •Additional control exclusion: Diagnosis or clinical suspicion of hypogonadism.
研究组 & 干预措施
Control Group (Other Chronic Endocrine Diseases)
Male patients aged 18 years or older diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or hypothyroidism without hypogonadism (total testosterone ≥ 300 ng/dL), matched by age (±5 years) to the case group and under regular follow-up in the same endocrinology clinic.
Hypogonadism Group (Case)
Male patients aged 18 years or older with biochemically confirmed hypogonadism (total testosterone < 300 ng/dL with at least one clinical symptom) undergoing regular follow-up in the endocrinology clinic.
结局指标
主要结局
Chronic Illness Anticipated Stigma Scale (CIASS) Score
时间窗: Baseline (Single session, day 1)
Measures anticipated stigma across three subscales (friends/family, work, healthcare workers) on a 5-point Likert scale.
Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ) Score
时间窗: Baseline (Single session, day 1)
Assesses cognitive and emotional representations of illness. Higher total scores indicate a more threatening illness perception.
次要结局
- Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) Scale Score(Baseline (Single session, day 1))
- Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) Score(Baseline (Single session, day 1))
研究者
Aybüke Fanuscu
Assistant Professor
Bingol University