Abstract
ABSTRACT Stigma negatively impacts quality of life of people living with dementia and their families and their interactions with others (e.g. community members, health and social care professionals). While recreation and leisure studies professionals play a key role in challenging this stigma by facilitating the engagement of persons living with dementia in meaningful activities in their communities, to date no study has explored stigma associated with dementia in the recreation and leisure studies sector. With an interest in addressing this gap, we conducted an international online survey study with 174 individuals to explore their beliefs, attitudes and behavioural intentions regarding persons living with dementia. We found that while both students and professionals demonstrated cognitive, emotional and behavioural types of stigma towards persons living with dementia, students had higher levels of stigma than professionals. Given the growing prevalence of dementia and increasing calls for more inclusive recreation and leisure services, our findings demonstrate the need for further research to inform the development of innovative approaches to addressing stigma in this sector.
Published Version
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