Mehnaaz Siddiqi
Research Scholar
Home Science (Human Development)
Department of Home Science
University of Calcutta
Kolkata, West Bengal (India)
Paromita Ghosh
Supervisor
Dean Faculty of Home Science
Music and Fine Arts.
University of Calcutta
Kolkata, West Bengal (India)
Purba Chattopadhyay
(Joint Supervisor)
Assistant Professor
Department of Home Science
University of Calcutta
Kolkata, West Bengal (India)
Abstract
The present study concerns psychological aspects of leprosy-afflicted patients. The purpose is to examine the perceived stigma, internalised stigma, self-esteem and social participation of the patients. In view of the above, the present paper is a primary survey based study on 262 (55 women and 207 men) aged 18-75 years leprosy-affected patients undergoing treatment in and around Kolkata. The main aim of the present paper is to look into the impact of leprosy on stigma, self-esteem and participation of patients in the society. Apart from calculation of descriptive statistics, the study undertakes t test for differences in means for independent sample. The results show that stigma, self-esteem and participation of the leprosy patients are affected by the gender of the patients, type of leprosy, place of stay, caste and visibility of the symptoms of the disease.
