Marco Brigiano, an Italian clinical psychologist and third-year PhD student at the University of Bologna, is embarking on a six-month research exchange with Dr Clarissa Giebel’s team in ARC NWC based at the University of Liverpool. His work explores how self-stigma affects people living with dementia and their willingness to seek help.

My name is Marco Brigiano. I am an Italian clinical psychologist and a third-year PhD student in Psychology at the University of Bologna. I am currently conducting a study investigating the presence of self-stigma among people living with dementia and its impact on help-seeking attitudes and behaviours.

From 3 November I will join Dr Clarissa Giebel’s research group in Liverpool for six months. During this period I will be an active member of the team, contributing to ongoing projects and taking part in a study aligned with my PhD. In Liverpool we will conduct a study using
the same measures and design as the one currently underway in Italy, collecting data from people living with dementia, their caregivers, and people aged 65 or older without cognitive impairment in the English context. This cross-national approach will allow direct
comparisons between the UK and Italy on levels and types of stigma (self-stigma, public stigma, affiliate stigma), on help-seeking attitudes and behaviours, and on social-health indicators (meaningful relationships, social participation, support networks). The comparison will provide valuable insight into the influence of sociocultural factors, helping to identify
similarities and differences across contexts.

During the exchange period I expect to deepen my understanding of health inequalities relevant to dementia, in particular how socioeconomic factors, access to services, and local care pathways shape experiences of access to appropriate care and support. I also expect to gain practical experience in public involvement and engagement by participating in
community events with people living with dementia, caregivers and local stakeholders, contributing to dissemination activities, and learning the PPI practices established by the
group.

By the end of the exchange I aim to have: a UK dataset harmonised with the Italian data and ready for comparative analysis; practical experience in PPI and stakeholder engagement; strengthened methodological skills in managing multi-context data and in
qualitative interview analysis; and evidence-based recommendations on how sociocultural and organisational factors affect stigma and access to care for people living with dementia.