Introduction and Objective: Diabetes-related stigma in healthcare professionals has been shown to negatively affect the mental health, disease self-management, and clinical outcomes (e.g., HbA1c) of people with diabetes. However, little is known about how this stigma varies among medical students. Understanding these differences is crucial for identifying future healthcare professionals most vulnerable to stigmatized attitudes and for informing equitable care. The current study examined diabetes stigma among medical students across demographic groups.Methods: Medical students (N=69) self-reported demographic information. We used ANOVAs and t-tests to compare Diabetes Stigma Survey Scores by demographic variables (gender, race, year in medical school).Results: As detailed in Table 1, a significant gender difference emerged for Perceived Relative Severity, with males displaying higher stigma than females, t (67) = -2.14, p=.04. No other significant differences were found for gender, race, or year.Conclusion: Our finding that male students reported higher Perceived Relative Severity scores than females suggests a gender-specific pattern in which male students may endorse greater stigma toward type 2 diabetes relative to type 1 diabetes. Educational interventions aimed at reducing stigma may need to consider gender-tailored messaging or address cognitive biases that differ between male and female medical students about the perceived severity of type 2 diabetes.
A.M. Subtirelu: None. R.A. Roope: None. E. Donado Castro: None. K.S. Holland: None. E. Larsen: None. D. Stickel: None. E.A. Beverly: None. M.N. Baudino: None.
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