Abstract
ObjectiveTo investigate the perceived-stigma level of COVID-19 patients in the early stage of the epidemic and analysed related factors and correlations that affected the stigma levels.MethodsThe COVID-19 patients were selected using the convenience sampling method. Perceived-stigma level was evaluated using the Social Impact Scale (SIS). Frequency was used to describe the general information and disease investigation status of COVID-19 patients; mean and standard deviation were used for describing stigma levels, Wilcoxon signed-ranks test (nonparametric test) was applied for pairwise comparison. Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test for grade data, and Dwass-Steel-Critchlow-Fligner test for multiple comparative analysis. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed, and statistically significant indicators in single-factor analysis were included to investigate the independent factors of stigma. The p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsSIS score of the 122 COVID-19 patients averaged 57.37±9.99 points. There were statistically significant differences in perceived-stigma levels among patients of different ages (p = 0.008), occupation (p <0.001), marital status (p = 0.009), and disease severity (p = 0.020). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age was the main influencing factor of stigma (p<0.05).ConclusionsThe overall perceived-stigma level of COVID-19 patients in the early stage of the epidemic was moderate. Younger, unmarried, and severely ill patients had a higher level of perceived-stigma, with age being the main factor. More attention should be given to the young COVID-19 patients.
Highlights
On January 7, 2020, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention identified and isolated a new type of coronavirus and Coronaviridae Study Group of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named it severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [1,2,3]
Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age was the main influencing factor of stigma (p
More attention should be given to the young COVID-19 patients
Summary
On January 7, 2020, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention identified and isolated a new type of coronavirus and Coronaviridae Study Group of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named it severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [1,2,3]. Previous studies have found that patients suffering from serious infectious diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) are common targets of discrimination [16, 17]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, infected patients were arguably the group most vulnerable to stigmatisation and mental health issues [18, 19]. As healthcare providers, we must understand the possibility and severity of stigmatisation of people infected with SARS-CoV-2
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