Objectives: This study aimed to examine the associations between stigma, social support, self-efficacy and self-care actions among adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Oman. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design using standardised questionnaires about stigma, self-efficacy, social support and self-care actions was used. A stratified random sample of 264 adult Omanis with SCD was recruited from two tertiary hospitals in Muscat. Both descriptive statistics (mean ± standard deviation, frequencies and percentages) and inferential statistics (independent t-test, the Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson correlation) were used to analyse the data. Results: Findings indicated that patients with SCD in Oman had health-related stigma with mean 28.1 ± 12.9 out of 66. However, the mean total scores for social support, self-efficacy and self-care actions were 4.8 ± 1.5, 28.3 ± 7.5 and 27.3 ± 4.2, respectively. There were significant negative relationships between social support, self-efficacy, self-care actions and stigma. Further, this study showed that the length of hospital stay was positively correlated with stigma, but not significantly correlated with social support, self-efficacy or self-care actions. Participants with a high level of education had significantly higher self-care action scores. Conclusion: Health-related stigma is a challenge for SCD patients. It has a detrimental impact on the health status of patients with SCD and on their families. Therefore, strategies for managing SCD and preventing complications are urgently needed. Understanding factors that affect stigma is essential when implementing effective strategies to improve the quality of care of individuals with SCD.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the associations between stigma, social support, self-efficacy and self-care actions among adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Oman. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design using standardised questionnaires about stigma, sel...