‘Young, poor men most affected by stigmatisation when using social services’

Young, poor men are the most stigmatised by health and social services, it has emerged.

A study of Limerick’s poorest residents has found stigmatisation is putting people off from using services to better their lives and young men are the worst affected.

Study co-author, Professor Orla Madden, from the University of Limerick, said stigmatisation was a particularly big problem for young, poor men. “What you find in a group of poor people is that those most stigmatised are young men and we would be particularly worried about that,” she said.