{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]],"date-time":"2026-08-01T00:44:41Z","timestamp":1785545081137,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"JMIR Publications Inc.","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JMIR Form Res"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n Many studies find associations between hepatitis B and stigma, but studies from the Western European context are lacking. Based on available studies, we hypothesized that younger age, higher education, male gender, higher privacy needs, and non-German mother tongue were positively associated with perceived hepatitis B\u2013related stigma.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n This study aims to describe the prevalence of perceived social stigma among patients with hepatitis B in Germany and to assess what factors are associated with perceptions of hepatitis B\u2013related stigma.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n Applying the short version of the Berger stigma scale, we surveyed 195 patients with hepatitis B about their perceptions of hepatitis B\u2013related stigma, privacy needs, and demographic variables through a paper-based questionnaire. Venue-based recruitment of adult patients diagnosed with acute or chronic hepatitis B was implemented at 3 clinical centers in Germany. Patients who could not read German were excluded from the study.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n From the 195 valid questionnaires, 45.1% (88\/195) of participants identified as female, 36.6% (71\/195) had a high school diploma, and 56.9% (111\/195) reported a mother tongue other than German. The mean (SD) stigma score throughout the sample was 5.52 (6.02; range 0-24) and the median was 3.50 (IQR=9.75). Regression analysis revealed that non-German mother tongue, individual data privacy needs, and participants\u2019 secrecy regarding their hepatitis B diagnosis independently predicted perceived hepatitis B-related stigma. More precisely, the higher the data privacy need and the more secret the hepatitis B diagnosis, the higher the perceived stigma, and perceived stigma was higher for patients with a non-German mother tongue. Age, gender, and education were no predictors of perceived stigma.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n The surveyed patients with hepatitis B in Germany reported lower levels of hepatitis B\u2013related stigma than found in other studies conducted in Asian countries. The association with non-German mother tongue indicates an important cultural and social component in the perception of stigma. Community-based interventions and the sensibilization of health care professionals might help overcome perceptions of stigma among hepatitis B\u2013affected populations.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.2196\/66379","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,13]],"date-time":"2025-06-13T15:31:56Z","timestamp":1749828716000},"page":"e66379-e66379","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Perceptions of Stigma Among Patients With Hepatitis B in Germany: Cross-Sectional Survey"],"prefix":"10.2196","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7047-4496","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bettina M","family":"Zimmermann","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7643-8816","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Theresa","family":"Willem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6537-9793","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michael","family":"Rost","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-9004-1881","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nina","family":"Matthes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5726-7633","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alena","family":"Buyx","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1010","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,13]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"405","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cld.2020.04.008","article-title":"Viral hepatitis other than A, B, and C: evaluation and management","volume":"24","author":"Cheung","journal-title":"Clin Liver Dis"},{"issue":"12","key":"R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/v12121366","article-title":"Hepatitis B virus infection: from diagnostics to treatments","volume":"12","author":"Tu","journal-title":"Viruses"},{"issue":"8","key":"R3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"524","DOI":"10.1038\/s41575-023-00760-9","article-title":"Global burden of hepatitis B virus: current status, missed opportunities and a call for action","volume":"20","author":"Hsu","journal-title":"Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol"},{"issue":"5-6","key":"R4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"707","DOI":"10.1007\/s00103-013-1673-x","article-title":"Die Seroepidemiologie der Hepatitis A, B und C in Deutschland [Article in Dutch]","volume":"56","author":"Poethko-M\u00fcller","journal-title":"Bundesgesundheitsbl"},{"key":"R5","unstructured":"Falla A Veldhuijzen I Ahmad A European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. 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