Portrayals of narcolepsy from 1980 to 2020: a descriptive analysis of stigmatizing content in newspaper articles

Study objectives: The media are the primary source of information about health for the public. The media portrayal of narcolepsy might contribute to the stigmatization of people affected by this condition. This study aimed to describe how narcolepsy is portrayed in newspapers. Methods: We collected 257 newspaper articles from the digital archive of "La Stampa" published between 1980 and 2020 that mentioned key search terms. The content was assessed using an ad-hoc coding schema developed to evaluate the presence of sensationalistic title, negative language, stigmatizing content, stereotypical description, disclosure of a person diagnosed with narcolepsy, person with narcolepsy described as dangerous, presence of an accurate diagnosis, identifiable symptoms, indications about diagnostic and treatment services. The Chi-squared analysis was performed to identify changes over time in the type of content. Results: In 10.9% of the articles, there was a sensationalistic title; inappropriate, negative, and outdated language appeared in 10.5% of the articles. Stigmatizing and stereotypical content were reported in 19.5% and 14.8% of the articles, respectively. In 62.3% of the articles, it was disclosed that a person has narcolepsy, and in 5.1% of the articles patients with narcolepsy are described as dangerous. 30.4% of the articles referred to the presence of an accurate diagnosis, while 16.7% described identifiable symptoms. Services for diagnosis and treatment were mentioned in 24.1% of the articles. Changes over time in the content of articles are discussed. Conclusions: Our findings highlight areas for improvement in the media portrayal of narcolepsy and could help guide the development of new targeted antistigma campaigns.