EYpA: Cultural Integration and Adaptation of the Honest, Open, Proud Program for Use in People with Multiple Sclerosis in Greece

BACKGROUND: MS patients can often experience stigma due to their diagnosis. Stigmatized patients tend to seek isolation, which in turn causes reduced use of healthcare services, negative health outcomes, and poor quality of life. A recent approach to reducing self-stigmatization is to support individuals in their disclosure decisions through empowerment programs. OBJECTIVE: This study focuses on the cultural adaptation and piloting of the Honest, Open, Proud (HOP) program into Greek, offering newly diagnosed MS patients an empowerment-based intervention to assist in making disclosure decisions. METHODS: Adaptation followed the established Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions, including theoretical revision, material adaptation, and feasibility testing. RESULTS: The intervention was delivered online to Greek newly diagnosed patients with MS (n=12). Attendance was very good in every session (>90% attendance by participants). CONCLUSION: EYpA was positively received by both participants and facilitators. This culturally sensitive adaptation could address a key gap in Greece's post-diagnostic care for people with MS by empowering them in their disclosure decisions.