Public stigma towards informal caregiving in Germany: a descriptive study.

The results show that there is stigma towards informal caregiving for older individuals (65 years and older) in terms of emotional reactions, cognitions and social distance, although the magnitude of this stigma seems to be small. Knowledge regarding the occurrence and magnitude of stigma, as well as the processes that underlie this, is needed to prevent stigmatization and its negative outcomes, or at the very least, to enable the development of support for the affected individuals.