The Roles of Empathy, Proximity, and Identity in Alzheimer’s Disease Stigma

Stigma toward individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) can have significant social and psychological consequences, yet research on its contributing factors to stigmatizing attitudes remain limited. The current study represents a novel investigation into stigma toward individuals with AD, a population that has been largely overlooked in studies of stigmatization. The present study aimed to examine psychosocial predictors of AD stigma, focusing on empathy, moral identity, identity distress, and proximity, with individuals with AD as a potential protective factor. A sample of undergraduate students (N = 419) completed self-report measures assessing these constructs. Empathy was the strongest predictor of AD stigma, negatively related to stigmatizing attitudes and fully mediating the relationship between moral identity internalization and stigma. In contrast, identity distress was linked to higher stigma, both directly and indirectly through its negative association with empathy. Proximity to someone with AD was also associated with lower stigma, suggesting that proximity may promote more positive attitudes. These findings highlight the possible central role of empathy in mitigating stigma and suggest that interventions fostering empathic concern, alongside addressing identity-related distress, may help mitigate negative perceptions of individuals with AD.