Purpose This paper examines how self-stigma influences the health information behaviours of family caregivers of people with dementia. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey of 211 dementia family caregivers was conducted in South Korea. A questionnaire was used to measure caregivers' self-stigma (discrimination, disclosure, positive aspects) and self-perceived health information behaviour (finding, evaluating, using information). Data was analysed with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test hypotheses. Findings The discrimination dimension of self-stigma was negatively associated with caregivers' confidence in finding information, but was not significantly associated with information evaluation or use. In contrast, disclosure-related stigma was associated with lower confidence in evaluating information, but not with information seeking or use. Positive caregiving attitudes were negatively associated with all three stages of information behaviour. Research limitations/implications The sample, drawn from a Korean cultural context, limits generalizability to other populations. However, our results highlight the importance of addressing psychological factors like stigma in models of information behaviour. Practical implications Caregiver support programs and libraries can incorporate stigma-coping workshops or confidential counselling to help caregivers overcome fear of judgment and engage more openly in information seeking. Originality/value This study bridges health information behaviour and stigma research, offering novel quantitative evidence that caregivers' internalized stigma can act as a barrier to effective information seeking.
Kam et al. (Tue,) studied this question.