Individuals with chronic health conditions who experience pain as a prominent symptom disclose their condition to fewer friends. Stigma and negative attitudes toward pain may lead to this lack of disclosure, and in turn negatively impact access to illness-related social support.

Cleveland State University

Illness-related social support is a specific type of social support that includes structural or functional support around the management of chronic health conditions, such as assistance with activities of daily living during a symptom flare-up. To receive illness-related support, an individual must disclose their illness.

Illness-Related Social Support for Individuals with Chronic Health Conditions

Feldman, E. C., Macaulay, T., Tran, S. T., Miller, S. A., Buscemi, J., &amp; Greenley, R. N. (2020). Relationships between disease factors and social support in college students with chronic physical illnesses. Children's Health Care. https://doi.org/10.1080/02739615.2020.1723100 

Relationships between disease factors and social support
in college students with chronic physical illnesses

Individuals with chronic health conditions with functional etiology (such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain conditions) report disclosing their condition to fewer friends than peers with conditions with organic etiology. Possible factors in this decision include stigma and misunderstanding surrounding functional disorders. Those with functional illnesses may also disclose less when compared to individuals whose chronic health conditions are organic due to a smaller group of friends, possibly attributed to the reduced amount of people who have shared experiences.

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