How does a person’s social environment impact upon help-seeking among people living with chronic respiratory illness?

The project will investigate how the social environment within which primary care patients manage their illness can buffer feelings of stigma and stress that contribute to patient experience of health care and its impact upon help-seeking. There is a distinct lack of evidence and poor understanding about the potential buffering role of social networks, social support, and socio-environmental quality for patients with chronic, non-communicable illnesses. The research will focus on people living in the community with chronic respiratory illness which are associated with a high degree of stigma in the Australian community. Mental health issues are common and there is a substantial social impact. The project will determine how social quality, including perceptions of isolation and loneliness, impact upon the experience and anticipation of stigma in healthcare settings for people living independently in the community with chronic respiratory illness.