DESTIGMATIZATION AS A PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE MEDICAL AND SOCIAL WORKERS

Abstract

The article elucidates the concept of destigmatization as a fundamental professional competence of future medical and social workers during their undergraduate training in Ukraine. It is demonstrated that stigma within educational and clinical environments manifests not only through overt forms of discrimination but also through covert practices, including labeling language, microaggressions, paternalism, symptom minimization, distancing, and implicit behavioral patterns that students internalize by observing senior colleagues. Destigmatization should be systematically integrated into curricular content and professional practice rather than limited to isolated lectures on tolerance.

The study determines that destigmatization competence encompasses not only knowledge of human rights and professional ethics but also specific behavioral skills, including the ability to recognize bias in one’s own reactions, use non-stigmatizing terminology in communication with patients and clients, engage in shared decision-making, and explain diagnostic and treatment procedures clearly and without judgment. The most effective approaches to developing this competence are identified as contact-based learning involving representatives of stigmatized groups (persons with disabilities, veterans, individuals with mental disorders, and survivors of violence), simulation-based methods and standardized patients for practicing “difficult conversations,” reflective practices, mentoring, and supervisory discussions aimed at identifying and correcting unconscious biases.

The article emphasizes that the trauma-informed approach constitutes a universal framework for destigmatization in wartime conditions, as it reduces the risk of retraumatization while strengthening patients’ and clients’ sense of safety and control. Particular attention is paid to the importance of gender-sensitive and inclusive communication as a standard of professional interaction. It is substantiated that the effectiveness of destigmatization-oriented training depends on institutional university support, including accessibility measures, anti-discrimination policies, and support services, as well as the incorporation of behavioral criteria into assessment systems (OSCE, portfolios, and feedback), which facilitates the transformation of professional values into sustainable professional behavior.