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Kurotori I, Asakura TR, Kimura T, Hori M, Hosozawa M, Saijo M, Iso H, Tamakoshi A. The Association between COVID-19-Related Discrimination and Probable Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Patients with COVID-19 in Sapporo, Japan. J Epidemiol 2024:JE20230360. [PMID: 38735739 DOI: 10.2188/jea.je20230360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BackgroundDisasters such as earthquakes, terrorism, and pandemics have triggered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and discrimination against the affected individuals has been linked to the development of PTSD. However, there is limited evidence regarding the association between discrimination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and probable PTSD in Japan.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing a web-based questionnaire targeting individuals who had contracted the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in Sapporo City. A total of 4247 individuals with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection spanning from February 2020 to February 2022 completed the questionnaire (response rate: 15.9%). Probable PTSD was measured using the three-item Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale. The stratified exact logistic regression was applied to calculate the odds ratios (OR) of probable PTSD for COVID-19-related discrimination with adjusted factors.ResultsThis study included 3626 patients who had a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among them, 321 patients (8.9%) experienced COVID-19-related discrimination. The prevalence of probable PTSD was 19.6% (63/321) among the patients who experienced COVID-19-related discrimination, and 4.6% (152/3305) among those who had not encountered such discrimination. The adjusted OR of COVID-19-related discrimination for probable PTSD was 4.68 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 3.36-6.53). The population attributable fraction of probable PTSD attributable to COVID-19-related discrimination among COVID-19 patients was estimated to be 23.4% (95% CI, 21.5-25.3).ConclusionThe comprehensive epidemiological survey of COVID-19 patients in Japan showed that COVID-19-related discrimination was associated with a higher prevalence of probable PTSD. Mitigating discrimination could be helpful to attenuate PTSD in future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaku Kurotori
- Department of Public Health, Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine
| | - Toshiaki R Asakura
- Department of Public Health, Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Dynamics, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
- Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
- School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University
| | - Takashi Kimura
- Department of Public Health, Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine
| | - Miyuki Hori
- Institute for Global Health Policy Research, Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine
| | - Mariko Hosozawa
- Institute for Global Health Policy Research, Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine
| | - Masayuki Saijo
- Public Health Office, Health and Welfare Bureau, Sapporo Municipal Government
| | - Hiroyasu Iso
- Institute for Global Health Policy Research, Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine
| | - Akiko Tamakoshi
- Department of Public Health, Hokkaido University Faculty of Medicine
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Wodecka L, Koulouglioti C, Gonçalves AC, Hill A, Hodgson L. Exploring the recovery journey of COVID-19 critical care survivors during the first year after hospital discharge. J Intensive Care Soc 2024; 25:181-189. [PMID: 38737315 PMCID: PMC11086722 DOI: 10.1177/17511437241227738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives To explore the longitudinal recovery of patients admitted to critical care following COVID-19 over the year following hospital discharge. To understand the important aspects of the patients' recovery process and key elements of their caregivers' experiences during this time. Design A longitudinal qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Setting Two acute hospitals in South East England and follow-up in the community. Participants Six COVID-19 critical care survivors from the first wave of the pandemic (March-May 2020) and five relatives were interviewed 3 months after hospital discharge. The same six survivors and one relative were interviewed again at 1 year. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, anonymised and a reflexive thematic analysis was conducted. Results Three themes were developed: (1) 'The cycle of guilt, fear and stigma'; (2) 'Facing the uncertainties of recovery' and (3) 'Coping with lingering symptoms - the new norm'. The first theme highlights survivors' reluctance to share their experiences associated with contracting the disease. The second theme, explores challenges faced by the survivors and their relatives in navigating the recovery process, given the unknown nature of the illness. The final theme illustrates the mechanisms survivors develop to come to terms with the remnants of their illness and critical care stay. Conclusions The longitudinal nature of the study highlighted the persisting symptoms of long COVID-19, their impact on survivors and coping methods amidst the ongoing pandemic. Further research into the experiences of those affected in the first and subsequent waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, is desirable to help guide the formulation of the optimally supported recovery pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Wodecka
- Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton and Hove, UK
| | - Christina Koulouglioti
- Research and Innovation Department, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Ana-Carolina Gonçalves
- Physiotherapy Department, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, UK
- School of Sport, Health and Exercise Science, University of Portsmouth, UK
| | - Adele Hill
- Physiotherapy Department, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Luke Hodgson
- Intensive care and respiratory consultant, University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Honorary Clinical Reader, BSMS, UK
- Honorary Clinical Reader, Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), University of Sussex, Brighton and Hove, UK
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García-López DDM, Jiménez-Lasserrotte MDM, Briones-Vozmediano É, Ruiz-Fernández MD, Hernández-Padilla JM, Granero-Molina J. Experiences of male irregular migrants during their migration process and reception in Spain: lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1387715. [PMID: 38706544 PMCID: PMC11066255 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1387715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The causes behind migration movements are complex. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how several countries failed to respond to the virus adequately, while simultaneously infringing on people's rights. Male irregular migrants fled their countries of origin and embarked on a perilous migration journey to Spain. The highly restrictive COVID-19 measures and border closures affected the mobility of male irregular migrants, whose reception in the host country posed a challenge. It led to the establishment of emergency facilities to accommodate male irregular migrants affected by COVID-19, which had repercussions on their mental health. The aim of this study was to describe and understand the experiences of male irregular migrants throughout their migration process and reception in Spain during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Qualitative descriptive study. Sixteen male irregular migrants participated in this study. Data were collected between January and March 2023 through 16 one-on-one in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data using ATLAS.ti computer software. Results Three main themes emerged: (1) How the COVID-19 pandemic drove male irregular migrants to leave their countries of origin, (2) How COVID-19 lockdown policies affected the migration journey, and (3) Receiving male irregular migrants in a pandemic: a housing labyrinth marked by isolation and loneliness. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic increased the social, employment and health inequalities experienced by male irregular migrants. Border closures exacerbated the migration journey and the social stigmatization of this group, who were seen as carriers of the virus in both transit and host countries. Strict control measures in emergency and reception facilities had a significant psychological impact on the male irregular migrants due to the social isolation they experienced. Health institutions should develop programs to guarantee the care needs of irregular migrants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Érica Briones-Vozmediano
- Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
- Grupo de Estudios en Sociedad, Salud, Educación y Cultura (GESEC), University of Lleida, Lleida, Spain
- Grupo de Investigación en Cuidados en Salud del Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Lleida (GRECS IRB Lleida), Lleida, Spain
| | | | | | - José Granero-Molina
- Department of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, Almería, Spain
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Temuco, Chile
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Sawamoto N, Okawara M, Muramatsu K, Odagami K, Mafune K, Tateishi S, Tsuji M, Ogami A, Fujino Y. Relationship Between Infection or Close Contact With COVID-19 and Workplace Mistreatment Among Japanese Workers: A Cross-sectional Study. J Occup Environ Med 2024; 66:339-343. [PMID: 38242539 DOI: 10.1097/jom.0000000000003055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Discriminatory treatment against those with emerging infection is a long-standing problem. The present study investigates whether workers infected or in close contact with COVID-19 were susceptible to workplace mistreatment during the pandemic in Japan. METHODS This Internet-based cross-sectional study analyzed a total of 18,170 workers aged 20 to 60 years in Japan in December 2020. Odds ratios (ORs) for workplace mistreatment were estimated. RESULTS For workers with close contact or infection, ORs for workplace mistreatment in a model adjusted for socioeconomic factors were 7.64 (95% CI: 5.52-10.6, P < 0.001) and 10.7 (95% CI: 8.44-13.6, P < 0.001), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Workers with infection or close contact were significantly more likely to experience workplace mistreatment. Actions against workplace mistreatment for workers with emerging infection are still required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Sawamoto
- From the Department of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan, Kitakyushu, Japan (N.S., M.O., Y.F.); Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (K.M.); Department of Occupational Health Practice and Management, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (K.O.); Department of Mental Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (K.M.); Disaster Occupational Health Center, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (S.T.); Department of Environmental Health, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (M.T.); and Department of Work Systems and Health, Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (A.O.)
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Facente SN, De Zuzuarregui M, Frank D, Gomez-Aladino S, Muñoz A, Williamson S, Wang E, Hunter LA, Packel L, Reingold A. Anticipated and Experienced Stigma After Testing Positive for SARS-CoV-2: A Qualitative Study. Health Promot Pract 2024; 25:235-243. [PMID: 35950699 PMCID: PMC10908201 DOI: 10.1177/15248399221115063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Stigma has inhibited public health practitioners' influence during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore the experienced and anticipated stigma of people affiliated with a large university in the United States, using the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework. METHODS We conducted a qualitative secondary substudy of 20 people who tested SARS-CoV-2 positive and 10 who tested negative in the summer of 2020, selected from a study of 3,324 university students and employees. FINDINGS No participants reported anticipated stigmatization prior to testing positive. However, eight of 20 participants recounted stigma marking (being marked by COVID-19 diagnosis or membership in a "high-risk" group) or manifestations of stigma after testing positive, including feelings of guilt or shame, and concerns about being judged as selfish or irresponsible. Three described being denied services or social interactions as a result of having had COVID-19, long after their infectiousness ended. Participants noted that clear public health messaging must be paired with detailed scientific information, rather than leaving people to resort to non-experts to understand the science. DISCUSSION Public health messaging designed to mitigate spread of SARS-CoV-2 and protect the community may perpetuate stigma and exacerbate inequities. As a result, people may avoid testing or treatment, mistrust public health messaging, or even use risk-increasing behavior as coping mechanisms. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Intentional use of language that promotes equity and deters discrimination must be high priority for any COVID-19-related public health messaging. Partnership with community leaders to co-create programs and disseminate messaging is a critical strategy for reducing stigma, especially for historically mistreated groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley N. Facente
- University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Facente Consulting, Richmond, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Emily Wang
- University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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6
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Jung M. Physical Distancing for Gay Men from People Living with HIV During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JOURNAL OF HOMOSEXUALITY 2024:1-19. [PMID: 38319682 DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2024.2314031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
The fear of COVID-19 can exacerbate social stigma and prejudice against individuals living with HIV (PLWH). This research delved into the behaviors of MSM (men who have sex with men) who practice physical-distancing from PLWH. Data from 878 respondents were collected through a web survey conducted on Korea's largest LGBT portal site over one month in July 2022. The study examined various independent variables encompassing socioeconomic characteristics, health status, media consumption habits, and homosexual attributes of MSM. The dependent variable assessed was the extent of physical-distancing perceived by MSMs without HIV toward PLWH. The statistical analysis employed nested regression models. In Model I, it was observed that physical-distancing from PLWH decreased as the age and education level of the respondent increased. In Model II, a decrease in physical-distancing was noted among respondents with underlying health conditions. Model III indicated that increased use of traditional media corresponded to greater physical-distancing from PLWH. Lastly, Model IV revealed a reduction in physical-distancing when the respondent was themselves a person living with HIV. This study underscores the existence of physical-distancing toward PLWH within the gay community. Consequently, fostering solidarity and providing support becomes imperative to prevent the isolation of PLWH within this community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minsoo Jung
- Department of Health Science, Dongduk Women's University, Seoul, South Korea
- Center for Community-Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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7
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Hannon-Walker I, McLuskey J. How does intersectionality impact the quality of healthcare services for Black women living with HIV? BRITISH JOURNAL OF NURSING (MARK ALLEN PUBLISHING) 2024; 33:S20-S25. [PMID: 38194323 DOI: 10.12968/bjon.2024.33.1.s20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Women with HIV are affected more than men by intersecting discriminations. For Black women, additional discrimination can have a detrimental effect on their HIV care. An extended literature review of primary research studies was undertaken to explore the issues and the impact of intersectionality on Black women with HIV. Electronic databases were searched for studies published since antiretroviral treatment became recognised to be effective, and eight studies met detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Critical appraisal led to the identification of three themes: discrimination; stigmatisation; and racism. The findings suggest that while Black women with HIV reported barriers to health care because of intersectionality, older women who felt confident in their self-identity were more able to cope with issues around this. Knowledge of the factors affecting these women will enable health professionals to deliver person-centred care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - John McLuskey
- Associate Professor, School of Health Sciences, University of Nottingham
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8
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Konaté B, Médah R, Traoré I, Ouedraogo S, Kaboré NF, Mamguem AK, Billa O, Kania D, Badolo H, Ouédraogo E, de Rekeneire N, Poda A, Diendéré AE, Ouédraogo B, Tinto H, Dabakuyo-Yonli TS. A Qualitative Study of the Experience of COVID-19 Patients in Burkina Faso. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2024; 110:170-178. [PMID: 38109766 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In Burkina Faso, the health system is characterized by systemic insufficient and antiquated health-care infrastructures. Consequently, few health-care establishments have the required resources to diagnose and manage patients with COVID-19, and fewer still have intensive care facilities for severely ill patients with COVID. Furthermore, there is a widespread scarcity of qualified health-care staff. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of patients with COVID-19 who recovered after being cared for in Bobo Dioulasso and Ouagadougou. Using individual semistructured interviews, we performed a cross-sectional qualitative, descriptive study from June 12 to 30, 2020 with the aid of 13 well-educated patients who had survived COVID-19. The results reveal that prior to hospital admission, the main reason that prompted patients to seek care was onset of symptoms of COVID-19, regardless of whether they had been in contact with suspected or confirmed cases. Transmission was mainly believed to have occurred in the community, in the hospital, and during travel. Patient management was punctuated by frequent self-medication with medicinal plants or pharmaceutical drugs. The participants reported a negative perception of hospitalization or home-based management, with several forms of stigmatization, but a positive perception influenced by the satisfactory quality of management in health-care centers. This report of patient experiences could be helpful in improving the management of COVID-19 in Burkina Faso, both in the health-care setting and in home-based care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blahima Konaté
- Institut des Sciences des Sociétés, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Isidore Traoré
- Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Université Nazi Boni, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | | | | | - Ariane Kamga Mamguem
- Epidemiology and Quality of Life Research Unit, INSERM U1231, Georges François Leclerc Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Dijon, France
| | - Oumar Billa
- Epidemiology and Quality of Life Research Unit, INSERM U1231, Georges François Leclerc Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Dijon, France
| | | | - Hermann Badolo
- Observatoire National de Santé Publique, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Nathalie de Rekeneire
- Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Armel Poda
- Université Nazi Boni, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaires Sanou Souro, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Boukary Ouédraogo
- Direction des Systèmes d'Information en Santé, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Halidou Tinto
- Centre Muraz, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
- Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Nanoro, Burkina Faso
| | - Tienhan Sandrine Dabakuyo-Yonli
- Epidemiology and Quality of Life Research Unit, INSERM U1231, Georges François Leclerc Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Dijon, France
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van Kersen W, de Rooij MMT, Portengen L, Diez NS, Pieterson I, Tewis M, Boer JMA, Koppelman G, Vonk JM, Vermeulen R, Gehring U, Huss A, Smit LAM. Impact of COVID-19 containment measures on perceived health and health-protective behavior: a longitudinal study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:419. [PMID: 38172539 PMCID: PMC10764319 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50542-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
This longitudinal study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 containment measures on perceived health, health protective behavior and risk perception, and investigate whether chronic disease status and urbanicity of the residential area modify these effects. Participants (n = 5420) were followed for up to 14 months (September 2020-October 2021) by monthly questionnaires. Chronic disease status was obtained at baseline. Urbanicity of residential areas was assessed based on postal codes or neighborhoods. Exposure to containment measures was assessed using the Containment and Health Index (CHI). Bayesian multilevel-models were used to assess effect modification of chronic disease status and urbanicity by CHI. CHI was associated with higher odds for worse physical health in people with chronic disease (OR = 1.09, 95% credibility interval (CrI) = 1.01, 1.17), but not in those without (OR = 1.01, Crl = 0.95, 1.06). Similarly, the association of CHI with higher odds for worse mental health in urban dwellers (OR = 1.31, Crl = 1.23, 1.40) was less pronounced in rural residents (OR = 1.20, Crl = 1.13, 1.28). Associations with behavior and risk perception also differed between groups. Our study suggests that individuals with chronic disease and those living in urban areas are differentially affected by government measures put in place to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. This highlights the importance of considering vulnerable subgroups in decision making regarding containment measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warner van Kersen
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Myrna M T de Rooij
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lützen Portengen
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Nekane Sandoval Diez
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Inka Pieterson
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marjan Tewis
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jolanda M A Boer
- Centre for Nutrition, Prevention and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard Koppelman
- Department of Paediatric Pulmonology and Paediatric Allergology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Beatrix Children's Hospital, Groningen, The Netherlands
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen Research Institute of Asthma and COPD (GRIAC), Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Judith M Vonk
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen Research Institute of Asthma and COPD (GRIAC), Groningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Roel Vermeulen
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ulrike Gehring
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Anke Huss
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lidwien A M Smit
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Pheasant-Kelly F. UK media responses to HIV through the lens of COVID-19: a study of multidirectional memory. MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2023; 49:735-751. [PMID: 37863647 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2022-012575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
This article proposes correlations and parallels in UK newsprint media coverage of the COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS pandemics through engagement with Michael Rothberg's model of multidirectional memory. It achieves this via qualitative and quantitative analysis of newsprint media during selected timelines of the respective outbreaks. Although the COVID-19 outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China in 2019 and spread globally, has prompted reference to a number of previous traumatic events, including 9/11 and the Holocaust, one might contend that it correlates most closely with HIV/AIDS given the latter's ongoing nature and worldwide reach. COVID-19, having infected 629 million people since December 2019 with 6.5 million deaths by November 2022, still presents a global threat through which we might read the trauma of HIV, a disease that has thus far seen 32.7 million deaths and has infected 75.7 million people worldwide. This relationship exists despite the fact that the two viruses and their effects differ markedly: HIV is a retrovirus, has a long incubation time, is transmitted via bodily fluids, has a low risk of infectivity via everyday contact and, to date, no fully effective vaccine has been developed. Contrastingly, COVID-19 is a coronavirus, has a short incubation time, is transmitted via contact and airborne respiratory aerosols, has a high risk of infectivity via everyday contact, and investment in vaccine development has been significant, with several vaccines now successfully developed. Nonetheless, while the two viruses and their prognoses are quite different and government strategies have followed highly divergent trajectories, certain parallels are apparent to the extent that one might read HIV/AIDS through the lens of COVID-19. It is therefore argued here that the connections between these two traumatic events constitute what Rothberg terms 'multidirectional memory' whereby we understand one traumatic event through another.
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North A, Cloete A, Ramlagan S, Manyaapelo T, Ngobeni A, Vondo N, Sekgala D. " … [I] f I can [be] infected now that means I am going to die … ": an explorative study focusing on vulnerable, immunocompromised groups and caregivers experiences and perceptions of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa. SAHARA J 2023; 20:2187446. [PMID: 36942771 PMCID: PMC10035956 DOI: 10.1080/17290376.2023.2187446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACTIn this paper, we explored how vulnerable, immunocompromised groups and caregivers of the elderly experienced and perceived the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa. Semi-structured interviews were conducted remotely between the 5th andthe 18th of April 2020 in the three South African provinces hardest hit by Covid-19, namely Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. In total, 60 qualitative key informant interviews and one focus group discussion were conducted. Study participants expressed concerns for elderly people and people with underlying health conditions because of their increased vulnerability to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). People living with HIV expressed an increased fear of infection following the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa. The sidelining of healthcare services and stock-outs of medication proved to be an added concern in particular for vulnerable and immunocompromised groups. Overall, the data suggest that the fear of infection is ubiquitous for people who live in unstable environments such as overcrowded townships and informal settlements. Given the increased fears of infection brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, the mental health of vulnerable communities and those caring for them becomes an added burden for people living in unstable environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia North
- South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Registry of Older Australians (ROSA), South Australia
| | | | | | | | - Amukelani Ngobeni
- HSC Division, HSRC, Pretoria, South Africa
- University of the North West, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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12
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Kalichman SC, Kalichman MO, Shkembi B, Eaton LA. COVID-19 health information trust and prejudicial attitudes predict healthcare disruptions in the first year of COVID-19 among people living with HIV. J Behav Med 2023; 46:812-820. [PMID: 36881251 PMCID: PMC9989585 DOI: 10.1007/s10865-023-00399-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Cross-sectional studies have reported that people living with HIV experienced disruptions to social relationships and healthcare during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, individuals with less trust in public health sources of COVID-19 information as well as those who held greater COVID-19 prejudicial attitudes experienced greater healthcare disruptions in the early months of COVID-19. To examine changes in trust and prejudicial attitudes in relation to healthcare disruptions during the first year of COVID-19, we followed a closed cohort of 115 men and 26 women ages 18 to 36 living with HIV over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings confirmed that a majority of individuals continued to experience disruptions to their social relationships and healthcare over the course of the first year of COVID-19. In addition, trust in COVID-19 information from the CDC and state health department diminished over the year as did COVID-19 prejudicial attitudes. Regression models showed that lower trust in the CDC and health department and greater prejudicial attitudes toward COVID-19 early in the pandemic predicted greater healthcare disruptions over the year. In addition, greater trust in the CDC and health department early in COVID-19 predicted better antiretroviral therapy adherence later in the year. Results support an urgent need to regain and sustain trust in public health authorities among vulnerable populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth C Kalichman
- Institute for Collaborative Health Intervention and Policy, University of Connecticut, InCHIP 2006 Hillside Road, 06269, Storrs, CT, USA.
| | - Moira O Kalichman
- Institute for Collaborative Health Intervention and Policy, University of Connecticut, InCHIP 2006 Hillside Road, 06269, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Bruno Shkembi
- Institute for Collaborative Health Intervention and Policy, University of Connecticut, InCHIP 2006 Hillside Road, 06269, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Lisa A Eaton
- Institute for Collaborative Health Intervention and Policy, University of Connecticut, InCHIP 2006 Hillside Road, 06269, Storrs, CT, USA
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13
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Huang F, Sun W, Li Y, Zhang L, Chen WT. Modification and validation of the COVID-19 stigma instrument in nurses: A cross-sectional survey. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1084152. [PMID: 37663322 PMCID: PMC10473103 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1084152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Nurses taking care of patients with infectious diseases have suffered from noticeable societal stigma, however currently, there is no validated scale to measure such stigma. This study aimed to revise and validate the COVID-19 Stigma Instrument-Nurse-Version 3 (CSI-N-3) by using item response theory (IRT) as well as classical test theory analysis. Methods In phase I, the Chinese CSI-N-3 was modified from the English version of HIV/AIDS Stigma Instrument-Nurse based on standard cross-cultural procedures, including modifications, translation/back translations, pilot testing, and psychometric testing with classical test theory and Rasch analysis. In phase II, a cross-sectional study using cluster sampling was conducted among 249 eligible nurses who worked in a COVID-19-designed hospital in Shanghai, China. The influencing factors of COVID-19-associated stigma were analyzed through regression analysis. Results In phase I, the two-factor structure was verified by confirmatory factor analysis, which indicated a good model fit. The 15-item CSI-N-3 achieved Cronbach's α of 0.71-0.84, and composite reliability of 0.83-0.91. The concurrent validity was established by significant association with self-reported physical, psychological, and social support levels (r = -0.18, -0.20, and -0.21, p < 0.01). In IRT analysis, the CSI-N-3 has ordered response thresholds, with the Item Reliability and Separation Index of 0.95 and 4.15, respectively, and the Person Reliability and Separation Index of 0.20 and 0.50, respectively. The infit and outfit mean squares for each item ranged from 0.39 to 1.57. In phase II, the mean score for the CSI-N-3 in Chinese nurses was 2.80 ± 3.73. Regression analysis showed that social support was the only factor affecting nurses' COVID-19-associated stigma (standardized coefficients β = -0.21, 95% confidence interval: -0.73 ~ -0.19). Conclusion The instrument CSI-N-3 is equipped with rigorous psychometric properties that can be used to measure COVID-19-associated stigma during and after the COVID-19 pandemic among nurses. The use of this instrument may facilitate the evaluation of tailored stigma-reduction interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifei Huang
- School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Wenxiu Sun
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yonglin Li
- School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wei-Ti Chen
- School of Nursing, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Scharnetzki E, Waterston L, Scherer AM, Thorpe A, Fagerlin A, Han PKJ. Effects of Prosocial and Hope-Promoting Communication Strategies on COVID-19 Worry and Intentions for Risk-Reducing Behaviors and Vaccination: Experimental Study. JMIR Form Res 2023; 7:e41959. [PMID: 37379364 PMCID: PMC10411423 DOI: 10.2196/41959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has engendered widespread fear and skepticism about recommended risk-reducing behaviors including vaccination. Health agencies are faced with the need to communicate to the public in ways that both provide reassurance and promote risk-reducing behaviors. Communication strategies that promote prosocial (PS) values and hope are being widely used; however, the existing research on the persuasiveness of these strategies has offered mixed evidence. There is also very little research examining the comparative effectiveness of PS and hope-promoting (HP) strategies. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of PS and HP messages in reassuring the public and motivating COVID-19 risk-reducing behaviors. METHODS A web-based factorial experiment was conducted in which a diverse sample of the US public was randomized to read messages which adapted existing COVID-19 information from a public website produced by a state government public health department to include alternative framing language: PS, HP, or no additional framing (control). Participants then completed surveys measuring COVID-19 worry and intentions for COVID-19 risk-reducing behaviors and vaccination. RESULTS COVID-19 worry was unexpectedly higher in the HP than in the control and PS conditions. Intentions for COVID-19 risk-reducing behaviors did not differ between groups; however, intentions for COVID-19 vaccination were higher in the HP than in the control condition, and this effect was mediated by COVID-19 worry. CONCLUSIONS It appears that HP communication strategies may be more effective than PS strategies in motivating risk-reducing behaviors in some contexts but with the paradoxical cost of promoting worry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Scharnetzki
- Center for Interdisciplinary Population and Health Research, MaineHealth Institute for Research, Portland, ME, United States
| | - Leo Waterston
- Center for Interdisciplinary Population and Health Research, MaineHealth Institute for Research, Portland, ME, United States
| | - Aaron M Scherer
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
| | - Alistair Thorpe
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Angela Fagerlin
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
- Salt Lake City VA Informatics Decision-Enhancement and Analytic Sciences Center for Innovation, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salk Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Paul K J Han
- Center for Interdisciplinary Population and Health Research, MaineHealth Institute for Research, Portland, ME, United States
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
- Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, United States
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15
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O'Neill M, LePage T, Bester V, Yoon H, Browne F, Nemec EC. Mpox (Formally Known as Monkeypox). PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT CLINICS 2023; 8:483-494. [PMID: 37193533 PMCID: PMC10069639 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpha.2023.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
This article reviews Mpox, including its epidemiology, transmission, clinical presentation, diagnosis, prevention, and management and treatment of the virus. This article also investigates the current outbreak of Mpox in nonendemic countries, including the United States. It discusses the high prevalence of Mpox affecting the men who have sex with men community. It examines the social stigma related to disease outbreaks of the past and it provides strategies that should be implemented to prevent stigmatization of the men who have sex with men community with the present-day outbreak of Mpox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Molly O'Neill
- Sacred Heart University PA Program, College of Health Professions, Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, CT 06825, USA
| | - Tricia LePage
- Sacred Heart University PA Program, College of Health Professions, Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, CT 06825, USA
| | - Vanessa Bester
- Augsburg University PA Program, 2211 Riverside Avenue, CB149, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA
| | - Henry Yoon
- Sacred Heart University PA Program, College of Health Professions, Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, CT 06825, USA
| | - Frederick Browne
- Sacred Heart University PA Program, College of Health Professions, Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, CT 06825, USA
- Griffin Hospital, 130 Division Street, Derby, CT 06418, USA
| | - Eric C Nemec
- Sacred Heart University PA Program, College of Health Professions, Sacred Heart University, 5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield, CT 06825, USA
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16
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Wong NCW, Paat YF. Understanding the Link between COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS Stigmas. JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCE 2023; 17:272-290. [PMID: 38602905 PMCID: PMC10028685 DOI: 10.1177/19367244231159609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/22/2023]
Abstract
While the HIV/AIDS epidemic has informed the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lack of understanding of the empirical links between stigmas associated with COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS. Surveying 247 adults in the United States online, this study aims to examine the relationships between COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS stigmas in order to understand how they are similar and different from each other, taking into consideration the context relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic. Four scales of stigmas conveying different attitudes (i.e., rejection, despise, accusation, and caution) were used to examine the relationships between the stigmas of these two infectious diseases. Findings based on the mean comparisons from paired t tests showed the mean difference in scores between respondents who supported the exclusion of COVID-19-infected individuals versus HIV-infected individuals was statistically significant. In addition, the mean difference in scores between respondents who were wary of their need to protect their rights around COVID-19-infected persons versus HIV-infected persons was statistically significant. Controlling for the respondents' sociodemographics and factors that were relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple regression analyses showed that all four types of COVID-19 stigmas were positively associated with their corresponding types of HIV/AIDS stigmas. The preliminary findings between COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS stigmas suggested that HIV/AIDS stigma mitigation strategies may present a fruitful approach to inform stigma mitigation of COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yok-Fong Paat
- The University of Texas at El Paso, El
Paso, TX, USA
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17
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Hong SJ, Cho H. Privacy Management and Health Information Sharing via Contact Tracing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Hypothetical Study on AI-Based Technologies. HEALTH COMMUNICATION 2023; 38:913-924. [PMID: 34555998 DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2021.1981565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we extended and tested the privacy calculus framework in the context of a hypothetical AI-based contact-tracing technology for application during the COVID-19 pandemic that is based on the communication privacy management and contextual integrity theories. Specifically, we investigated how the perceived privacy risks and benefits of information disclosure affect the public's willingness to opt in and adopt contact-tracing technologies and how social and contextual factors influence their decision-making process. Four hundred eighteen adults in the United States participated in the study via Amazon Mechanical Turk in August 2020. A percentile bootstrap method with 5,000 resamples and bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals in structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The participants' privacy concerns and perceived benefits significantly influenced their opt-in and adoption intentions, which suggests that the privacy calculus framework applies to the context of COVID-19 contact-tracing technologies. Perceived social, personal, and reciprocal benefits were identified as crucial mediators that link contextual variables to both opt-in and adoption intentions. Although this study was based on a hypothetical AI-based contact-tracing app, our findings provide meaningful theoretical and practical implications for future research investigating the public's technology adoption in contexts where tradeoffs between privacy risks and public health coexist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo Jung Hong
- Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore
| | - Hichang Cho
- Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore
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18
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Paine EA, Lee YG, Mergenova G, Vinogradov V, Laughney CI, Davis A, Terlikbayeva A, Primbetova S, Hunt T, Wu E. Compounding vulnerabilities: victimization and discrimination is associated with COVID-19 disruptions to HIV-related care among gay, bisexual, and other men and transgender and nonbinary people who have sex with men in Kazakhstan. AIDS Care 2023; 35:651-657. [PMID: 36628449 PMCID: PMC10159880 DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2022.2148956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Gay, bisexual, and other men and transgender and nonbinary people who have sex with men (MSM and TSM) are disproportionately impacted by the HIV epidemic in Kazakhstan. MSM and TSM in Kazakhstan also face high levels of discrimination and victimization, known barriers to engagement in HIV prevention and care. We examined data from surveys with 455 MSM and TSM collected May -- October 2020 to determine whether access to HIV testing and treatment was disproportionately limited among those exposed to victimization and discrimination during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Odds of reporting COVID-19 disruptions to HIV-related care access were significantly higher (OR: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.25-3.06; P = .003) among those who experienced recent sexual or gender-based victimization, and recent discrimination (OR: 2.93; 95% CI: 1.65-5.23; P < .001), compared to those who did not experience victimization or discrimination, respectively. Odds of reporting disruptions among those who experienced both victimization and discrimination were significantly higher (OR: 3.59; 95% CI: 1.88-6.86; P < .001) compared to those who experienced neither . Associations remained significant after adjustment for potentially confounding factors. Findings suggest the COVID-19 pandemic is compounding vulnerability among MSM and TSM in Kazakhstan - highlighting need for intervention efforts targeting the most marginalized groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Allen Paine
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yong Gun Lee
- Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Alissa Davis
- Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Timothy Hunt
- Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, NY, USA
- Global Health Research Center of Central Asia, Almaty, Kazakhstan
| | - Elwin Wu
- Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, NY, USA
- Global Health Research Center of Central Asia, Almaty, Kazakhstan
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19
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Foreman-Mackey A, Xavier J, Corser J, Fleury M, Lock K, Mehta A, Lamb J, McDougall J, Newman C, Buxton JA. "It's just a perfect storm": Exploring the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on overdose risk in British Columbia from the perspectives of people who use substances. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:640. [PMID: 37013524 PMCID: PMC10069735 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15474-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the implementation and expansion of public health and harm reduction strategies aimed at preventing and reversing overdoses, rates of overdose-related events and fatalities continue to rise in British Columbia. The COVID-19 pandemic created a second, concurrent public health emergency that further exacerbated the illicit drug toxicity crisis, reinforced existing social inequities and vulnerabilities, and highlighted the precariousness of systems in place that are meant to protect the health of communities. By exploring the perspectives of people with recent experience of illicit substance use, this study sought to characterize how the COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures influenced risk and protective factors related to unintentional overdose by altering the environment in which people live and use substances, influencing the ability of people who use substances to be safe and well. METHODS One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted by phone or in-person with people who use illicit substances (n = 62) across the province. Thematic analysis was performed to identify factors shaping the overdose risk environment. RESULTS Participants pointed to factors that increased risk of overdose, including: [1] physical distancing measures that created social and physical isolation and led to more substance use alone without bystanders nearby able to respond in the event of an emergency; [2] early drug price spikes and supply chain issues that created inconsistencies in drug availability; [3] increasing toxicity and impurities in unregulated substances; [4] restriction of harm reduction services and supply distribution sites; and [5] additional burden placed on peer workers on the frontlines of the illicit drug toxicity crisis. Despite these challenges, participants highlighted factors that protected against overdose and substance-related harm, including the emergence of new programs, the resiliency of communities of people who use substances who expanded their outreach efforts, the existence of established social relationships, and the ways that individuals consistently prioritized overdose response over concerns about COVID-19 transmission to care for one another. CONCLUSIONS The findings from this study illustrate the complex contextual factors that shape overdose risk and highlight the importance of ensuring that the needs of people who use substances are addressed in future public health emergency responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Foreman-Mackey
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 317 - 2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
| | - Jessica Xavier
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada
| | - Jenny Corser
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada
| | - Mathew Fleury
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada
- Faculty of Health Sciences, SFU, Blusson Hall, Room 11300, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada
- First Nations Health Authority, 540-757 West Hastings St, Vancouver, BC, V6C 1A1, Canada
| | - Kurt Lock
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada
| | - Amiti Mehta
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada
- First Nations Health Authority, 540-757 West Hastings St, Vancouver, BC, V6C 1A1, Canada
| | - Jessica Lamb
- Professionals for Ethical Engagement of Peers, Peer Engagement and Evaluation Project, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada
| | - Jenny McDougall
- Professionals for Ethical Engagement of Peers, Peer Engagement and Evaluation Project, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada
| | - Cheri Newman
- Professionals for Ethical Engagement of Peers, Peer Engagement and Evaluation Project, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada
| | - Jane A Buxton
- British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada
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20
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Owusu AFS, Abdullah A, Pinto GH, Bentum H, Moo JTN, Ayim M, Mbamba CR, Cudjoe E. Where Do We Go After Surviving the Virus? Cross-Country Documentary Analysis of the Social Consequences Faced by COVID-19 Survivors. COMMUNITY HEALTH EQUITY RESEARCH & POLICY 2023; 43:329-338. [PMID: 34102924 PMCID: PMC9996079 DOI: 10.1177/0272684x211022176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In this study, we attempted to move beyond the skewed discussions on stigma to unravel other social consequences that are experienced by persons who have recovered from COVID-19. We conducted a documentary review of published news reports from 14 highly ranked news portals in Ghana and Malaysia (published between 1st January 2020 and 30th August 2020) that contained personal accounts from the recovered patients about their lived experiences with the virus and social consequences encountered after recovery. Narratives from the recovered patients were extracted and analyzed following the narrative thematic analysis procedure. Common themes identified from the narratives included: 1) Stigma impacting mental health, 2) Assault and abuse 3) Experiences of treatment. The findings show the need for interprofessional collaboration between social and health care professionals such as social workers, community health workers, medical practitioners and psychologists to prevent and address issues of abuse and other social consequences experienced by COVID-19 survivors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfred F S Owusu
- Department of Geography and Rural Development, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Alhassan Abdullah
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, the University of Hong Kong, HKU Centennial Campus, Hong Kong
| | - Godfred H Pinto
- Department of Geography and Rural Development, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Hajara Bentum
- Department of Sociology and Social Work, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Janet Tein Ni Moo
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, the University of Hong Kong, HKU Centennial Campus, Hong Kong
| | - Mary Ayim
- Department of Social Work and Social Care, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Crispin R Mbamba
- School of Governance and International Affairs, Durham Global Security Institute, UK
| | - Ebenezer Cudjoe
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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21
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Cavalera C, Quiroga A, Oasi O. Ashamed or afraid? Traumatic symptom severity and emotional activations of Covid-19-related events. Asian J Psychiatr 2023; 82:103500. [PMID: 36796219 PMCID: PMC9898053 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2023.103500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the role of shame, guilt, and fear activations related to Covid-19 stressful experiences in predicting traumatic symptoms. We focused on 72 Italian adults recruited in Italy. The primary outcome was to explore the traumatic symptoms severity and negative emotions associated with COVID-19-related experiences. The presence of traumatic symptoms was met by a total of 36%. Shame and fear activations predicted traumatic scales. Qualitative content analysis identified Self-centered, and Externally-centered counterfactual thoughts and five relevant subcategories were also identified. The present findings suggest the importance of shame in the maintenance of traumatic symptoms related to COVID-19 experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesare Cavalera
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano.
| | | | - Osmano Oasi
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano
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22
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Kang J, Kim HS, Yi HJ, Lee Y, Lee SH, Song KH, Park HY, Oh HS, Yoon D, Choe PG, Lee EJ, Choi CH, Sim M, Yu ES, Paik JW, Park HY. Causing trouble and being transmissible: COVID-19 survivors’ experiences of stigma and discrimination in South Korea. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1103572. [PMID: 36998621 PMCID: PMC10043256 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1103572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundThe stigma associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is relatively neglected in policies for handling the disease. Stigmatization occurs only within specific social contexts in local societies.ObjectiveThis study aims to examine COVID-19 survivors’ experiences of social stigma and discrimination in South Korea in the first 2 years of the pandemic.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted.ResultsOf 52 participants, 45 reported that they had to cope with stigma and discrimination in their intimate social relationships, workplaces, and children’s schools, ranging from subtle actions to job loss. Sexual minorities who were involved in mass disease transmission in the early part of the pandemic experienced a higher level of stigmatization. The stigmatization dealt with in this study was related to two themes: survivors’ sense of causing trouble and possibility of transmission.ConclusionBy intertwining this stigma with the experiences of public health measures through the voices of survivors, this study reveals the local context of East Asia in terms of culture-specific aspects of COVID-19-related stigma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiyeon Kang
- Department of Anthropology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyang Soo Kim
- Department of Nursing Science, Sungshin Women’s University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Ji Yi
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yesung Lee
- Department of Anthropology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - So Hee Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, National Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- So Hee Lee,
| | - Kyoung-Ho Song
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Yeon Park
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Hong Sang Oh
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Doran Yoon
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Pyoeng Gyun Choe
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Joo Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Chi-Hyun Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Minyoung Sim
- National Center for Disaster and Trauma, National Center for Mental Health, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Seung Yu
- Department of Counseling Psychology, The Cyber University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Woo Paik
- Department of Psychiatry, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Yoon Park
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- *Correspondence: Hye Yoon Park,
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Mavragani A, Biswas A, Masud Z, Kteily-Hawa R, Goldstein A, Gillis JR, Rayana S, Ahmed SI. Development of a COVID-19-Related Anti-Asian Tweet Data Set: Quantitative Study. JMIR Form Res 2023; 7:e40403. [PMID: 36693148 PMCID: PMC9976773 DOI: 10.2196/40403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals of Asian descent (colloquial usage prevalent in North America, where "Asian" is used to refer to people from East Asia, particularly China) have been the subject of stigma and hate speech in both offline and online communities. One of the major venues for encountering such unfair attacks is social networks, such as Twitter. As the research community seeks to understand, analyze, and implement detection techniques, high-quality data sets are becoming immensely important. OBJECTIVE In this study, we introduce a manually labeled data set of tweets containing anti-Asian stigmatizing content. METHODS We sampled over 668 million tweets posted on Twitter from January to July 2020 and used an iterative data construction approach that included 3 different stages of algorithm-driven data selection. Finally, we found volunteers who manually annotated the tweets by hand to arrive at a high-quality data set of tweets and a second, more sampled data set with higher-quality labels from multiple annotators. We presented this final high-quality Twitter data set on stigma toward Chinese people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data set and instructions for labeling can be viewed in the Github repository. Furthermore, we implemented some state-of-the-art models to detect stigmatizing tweets to set initial benchmarks for our data set. RESULTS Our primary contributions are labeled data sets. Data Set v3.0 contained 11,263 tweets with primary labels (unknown/irrelevant, not-stigmatizing, stigmatizing-low, stigmatizing-medium, stigmatizing-high) and tweet subtopics (eg, wet market and eating habits, COVID-19 cases, bioweapon). Data Set v3.1 contained 4998 (44.4%) tweets randomly sampled from Data Set v3.0, where a second annotator labeled them only on the primary labels and then a third annotator resolved conflicts between the first and second annotators. To demonstrate the usefulness of our data set, preliminary experiments on the data set showed that the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) model achieved the highest accuracy of 79% when detecting stigma on unseen data with traditional models, such as a support vector machine (SVM) performing at 73% accuracy. CONCLUSIONS Our data set can be used as a benchmark for further qualitative and quantitative research and analysis around the issue. It first reaffirms the existence and significance of widespread discrimination and stigma toward the Asian population worldwide. Moreover, our data set and subsequent arguments should assist other researchers from various domains, including psychologists, public policy authorities, and sociologists, to analyze the complex economic, political, historical, and cultural underlying roots of anti-Asian stigmatization and hateful behaviors. A manually annotated data set is of paramount importance for developing algorithms that can be used to detect stigma or problematic text, particularly on social media. We believe this contribution will help predict and subsequently design interventions that will significantly help reduce stigma, hate, and discrimination against marginalized populations during future crises like COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ahana Biswas
- Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, India
| | - Zarif Masud
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Abby Goldstein
- Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Shebuti Rayana
- Mathematics, Computer & Information Sciences, State University of New York at Old Westbury, Old Westbury, NY, United States
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Delays in gender affirming healthcare due to COVID-19 are mitigated by expansion of telemedicine. Am J Surg 2023; 225:367-373. [PMID: 36182596 PMCID: PMC9500094 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2022.09.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gender-affirming healthcare is vital for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients, and during the pandemic, accessing healthcare became challenging. Hypothesizing that many had procedures postponed, we sought to characterize the impact of the pandemic on TGD patients. METHODS A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining surveys and interviews; Duke patients were identified by ICD-10 codes, while non-Duke (national) patients were recruited through online social media. RESULTS All specialties increased telemedicine usage during the pandemic. Duke surgical patients reported a nearly three-fold increase in telemedicine access. COVID-19 symptoms were reported by 24% of Duke and 20% of national patients; barriers to urgent care included the fear of discrimination (27%). CONCLUSION Delays were experienced in all domains of care, mitigated in part by telemedicine. Nearly one-third of patients cite discrimination as a barrier to care. Though pandemic-related expansion of telemedicine may be a marker of success, significant barriers still complicate delivery of healthcare.
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25
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Hill MJ, Heads AM, Suchting R, Stotts AL. A survey with interventional components delivered on tablet devices versus usual care to increase pre-exposure prophylaxis uptake among cisgender Black women: a pilot randomized controlled trial. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:57. [PMID: 36707778 PMCID: PMC9881522 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08019-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cisgender (cis) Black women in the USA are more likely to become HIV positive during their lifetime than other women. We developed and implemented a behavioral intervention, Increasing PrEP (iPrEP), the first pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed at motivating cis Black women to be willing to use PrEP for HIV prevention and attend an initial PrEP clinic visit following an emergency department visit. METHODS Eligible participants were Black cisgender women ages 18-55 years who acknowledged recent condomless sex and substance use. Participants were randomized to iPrEP or usual care (UC). iPrEP is a survey-based intervention designed to raise awareness and knowledge about PrEP. Participants completed an assessment of knowledge of and willingness to use PrEP before and after the intervention, then received a warm-hand off with referral to a local PrEP clinic. Enrolled participants were followed for 6 months. RESULTS Forty enrolled participants were ages 18-54 years. Education levels varied evenly between some high school education and graduate education. Most participants were single (n = 25) or married (n = 7). Twenty-two participants were employed full-time. Pre-test results indicated that 21 of 40 participants had heard of PrEP. All participants identified PrEP as a daily HIV prevention medication. For those randomized to iPrEP, the odds of knowing about PrEP at post-test, when controlling for baseline, were higher relative to UC (OR = 5.22, 95%CrI = 0.50, 94.1]. iPrEP did not have any effect on willingness relative to UC. The estimate for iPrEP on willingness is marginally higher (4.16 vs. 4.04; i.e., 0.12 points higher); however, the posterior probability of 67.9% does not suggest a strong degree of evidence in favor of an effect. During the post-test, those receiving iPrEP were less ready to take PrEP than those receiving UC. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that iPrEP increased knowledge about the PrEP medication but had a negative impact on readiness to take PrEP relative to UC. It is imperative that future research among cisgender Black women carefully considers the content provided in interventions designed to increase PrEP use, balancing the benefits of PrEP with the side effects and daily pill burden. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrial.gov Identifier: NCT03930654, 29/04/2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandy J. Hill
- grid.267308.80000 0000 9206 2401University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA ,grid.267308.80000 0000 9206 2401Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA
| | - Angela M. Heads
- grid.267308.80000 0000 9206 2401University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA ,grid.267308.80000 0000 9206 2401Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA
| | - Robert Suchting
- grid.267308.80000 0000 9206 2401University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA ,grid.267308.80000 0000 9206 2401Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA
| | - Angela L. Stotts
- grid.267308.80000 0000 9206 2401University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA ,grid.267308.80000 0000 9206 2401Department of Family Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA
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Dopelt K, Davidovitch N, Davidov N, Plot I, Boas H, Barach P. "As if we are branded with the mark of Cain": stigma, guilt, and shame experienced by COVID-19 survivors in Israel - a qualitative study. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2023:1-14. [PMID: 36684454 PMCID: PMC9838295 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-023-04241-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Stigma is associated with harmful health outcomes, and it fuels social and health inequalities. It can undermine social cohesion and encourage social exclusion of groups, which may contribute to secrecy about disease symptoms, avoidance of disease testing and vaccination, and further spread of a contagious illness. Stigmatization is a social process set to exclude those who are perceived to be a potential source of disease and may pose a threat to effective interpersonal and social relationships. In this qualitative study, we delved into the stigmatization experiences of twenty COVID-19 recovered patients during the COVID-19 first wave, using in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted during November 2020. Using thematic analysis, we found that the process of stigmatization was all-encompassing, from the stage of diagnosis throughout the duration of the disease and the recovery phases. On the basis of the data, we hypothesized that stigma is a significant public health concern, and effective and comprehensive interventions are needed to counteract the damaging and insidious effects during infectious disease pandemics such as COVID-19, and reduce infectious disease-related stigma. Interventions should address provision of emotional support frameworks for the victims of stigmatization and discrimination that accompany the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics. This study was conducted in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when uncertainty about the disease was high and fear of contamination fueled high levels of stigmatization against those who became ill with Covid-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keren Dopelt
- Department of Public Health, Ashkelon Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Nadav Davidovitch
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Nikol Davidov
- Department of Public Health, Ashkelon Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel
| | - Ira Plot
- Department of Public Health, Ashkelon Academic College, Ashkelon, Israel
| | - Hagai Boas
- Department of Politics and Governance, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
- The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Paul Barach
- Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA USA
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Lemkow–Tovías G, Lemkow L, Cash‐Gibson L, Teixidó‐Compañó E, Benach J. Impact of COVID-19 inequalities on children: An intersectional analysis. SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH & ILLNESS 2023; 45:145-162. [PMID: 36181484 PMCID: PMC9538856 DOI: 10.1111/1467-9566.13557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Societal concerns about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have largely focussed on the social groups most directly affected, such as the elderly and health workers. However, less focus has been placed on understanding the effects on other collectives, such as children. While children's physical health appears to be less affected than the adult population, their mental health, learning and wellbeing is likely to have been significantly negatively affected during the pandemic due to the varying policy restrictions, such as withdrawal from face to face schooling, limited peer-to-peer interactions and mobility and increased exposure to the digital world amongst other things. Children from vulnerable social backgrounds, and especially girls, will be most negatively affected by the impact of COVID-19, given their different intersecting realities and the power structures already negatively affecting them. To strengthen the understanding of the social determinants of the COVID-19 crisis that unequally influence children's health and wellbeing, this article presents a conceptual framework that considers the multiple axes of inequalities and power relations. This understanding can then be used to inform analyses and impact assessments, and in turn inform the development of effective and equitable mitigation strategies as well as assist to be better prepared for future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Lemkow–Tovías
- Facultat de Ciències Socials de ManresaUniversitat Vic‐Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic‐UCC)ManresaSpain
| | - Louis Lemkow
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia AmbientalsUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBarcelonaSpain
| | - Lucinda Cash‐Gibson
- Research Group on Health Inequalities, Environment, Employment Conditions Knowledge Network (GREDS‐EMCONET), Department of Political and Social SciencesUniversitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaCataloniaSpain
- Johns Hopkins University ‐ Pompeu Fabra University Public Policy Center (UPF‐BSM)BarcelonaCataloniaSpain
- Pompeu Fabra University‐UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF‐BSM)BarcelonaSpain
| | - Ester Teixidó‐Compañó
- Facultat de Ciències de la Salut de ManresaUniversitat Vic‐Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic‐UCC)ManresaSpain
| | - Joan Benach
- Research Group on Health Inequalities, Environment, Employment Conditions Knowledge Network (GREDS‐EMCONET), Department of Political and Social SciencesUniversitat Pompeu FabraBarcelonaCataloniaSpain
- Johns Hopkins University ‐ Pompeu Fabra University Public Policy Center (UPF‐BSM)BarcelonaCataloniaSpain
- Pompeu Fabra University‐UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF‐BSM)BarcelonaSpain
- Ecological Humanities Research Group (GHECO)Universidad AutónomaMadridSpain
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Wilandika A, Gartika N, Salami S. Social stigma against individuals with COVID-19: scale development and validation. Health Psychol Behav Med 2022; 11:2155166. [PMID: 36606004 PMCID: PMC9809341 DOI: 10.1080/21642850.2022.2155166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Social stigma toward individuals with COVID-19 is a public phenomenon that significantly impacts the prevention of this disease. The study aimed to develop and examine the scale of social stigma against people with COVID-19. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August 2021 using random sampling. Two hundred twenty-five people were involved in the study. All people are domiciled in Bandung Regency, West Java, Indonesia and have never been infected with COVID-19. The scale was designed based on the dimensional structure of social stigma and then evaluated the scale's psychometric properties. Result The study found that instruments with 12 items had a content validity index of 1.0. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.875 showed as satisfactory. Exploratory factor analysis was performed on the first sample (n = 100), and four factors were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis: ignorance/labelling, stereotype, separation, and discrimination. Following this, the confirmatory factor analysis in the remaining sample (n = 120) showed a good fit between the four-factor model and the theoretical model of social stigma. Conclusions The social stigma scale has been determined to be valid and reliable. Health practitioners can use this scale to predict social stigma toward individuals with COVID-19 to develop better transmission prevention strategies and improved quality of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angga Wilandika
- Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Aisyiyah Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, Angga Wilandika Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Aisyiyah Bandung, Jl. KH Ahmad Dahlan Dalam No.6 Bandung, West Java40264, Indonesia
| | - Nina Gartika
- Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Aisyiyah Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Salami Salami
- Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Aisyiyah Bandung, West Java, Indonesia
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Muacevic A, Adler JR. Mental Health Amidst COVID-19: A Review Article. Cureus 2022; 14:e33030. [PMID: 36721587 PMCID: PMC9883055 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.33030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Outbreaks of infectious diseases confined to a particular locality are not unusual. Respiratory infections such as tuberculosis or community-acquired pneumonia are known in developing and underdeveloped countries. However, COVID-19 infection had globally created havoc due to its high rate of transmission and serious consequences on physical and mental health paralyzing the healthcare facilities of not only developing but also developed nations. This created a sense of uncertainty and insecurity in the public globally, adversely affecting the mental health of almost every individual. It is genuinely obtrusive that the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a global lockdown, adversely affecting the psychological health of the public. Some pandemic-related stressors affect nearly everyone. This review aims to study the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of psychological well-being and its overall effect on society, thereby making it essential to lend them a helping hand.
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Callander D, Thilani Singham Goodwin A, Duncan DT, Grov C, El-Sadr W, Grant M, Thompson RJ, Simmons M, Oshiro-Brantly JL, Bhatt KJ, Meunier É. "What will we do if we get infected?": An interview-based study of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the health and safety of sex workers in the United States. SSM. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH IN HEALTH 2022; 2:100027. [PMID: 34901921 PMCID: PMC8653407 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2021.100027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Emerging evidence suggests that sex workers face unique and profound risks arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. To illuminate the pandemic's effects on sex worker health and safety and identify intervention opportunities, from May-August 2020 in-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 15 sex workers, four service providers and two individuals who were both. Sampled sex workers included eight people of color, eight cisgender women, five cisgender men, three non-binary people, and one transgender woman. Using Conservation of Resources Theory to define impacts on sex worker resources and resulting health and safety implications, a deductive thematic analysis was conducted. Seven resources were threatened due to the pandemic: work opportunity, sex work venues, social support, health services, money, food, and housing. The loss of these resources was exacerbated by stigma - notably sex work criminalization - and significantly undermined health and safety by increasing food and housing instability, increasing risks of violence, and diminishing safer sex negotiation. Six resources were activated in response: social support, digital skills, health knowledge, non-sex work employment, money, and resilience. While social support had numerous benefits, investing digital skills and non-sex work employment were generally of limited impact. The pandemic's negative health and safety effects were most profound at the intersections of race, gender, class, and migration status. These findings suggest sex workers need urgent and ongoing support, with investments in social support and sex work decriminalization likely to have the greatest effects on health and safety relative to and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alicia Thilani Singham Goodwin
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Dustin T Duncan
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Christian Grov
- Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York, 55 W 125th St, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Wafaa El-Sadr
- ICAP at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Mariah Grant
- Sex Workers Project, Urban Justice Center, 40 Rector St, New York, NY, 10006, USA
| | - R J Thompson
- Sex Workers Project, Urban Justice Center, 40 Rector St, New York, NY, 10006, USA
| | - Molly Simmons
- Sex Workers Outreach Project Brooklyn, 1167 President St, New York, NY, 11225, USA
| | - J Leigh Oshiro-Brantly
- Decriminalize Sex Work, 360 Nueces Street, Austin, TX, 78701, USA
- New York Transgender Advocacy Group, 215 W 125th St, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- New York State Gender Diversity Coalition, 215 W 125th St, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Krish J Bhatt
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Étienne Meunier
- Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA
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Aantjes C, Muchanga V, Munguambe K. Exposed and unprotected: Sex worker vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 health emergency in Mozambique. Glob Public Health 2022; 17:3568-3582. [PMID: 35748776 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2022.2092184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 have been shown to disproportionately affect the marginalised groups in our societies. We studied the impacts of national restrictions on young adult sex workers in Mozambique, and actions at individual, governmental and civil society level to mitigate against these impacts. The country case study was part of a multi-country qualitative research, including fifty-four semi-structured interviews with female sex workers (N = 38), outreach workers (N = 10) in Maputo and Quelimane, and informants with key positions in national COVID coordination bodies, the Ministry of Health and civil society organisations (N = 7). While restrictions impacted all sex worker participants, the COVID crisis was found to deepen existing class differences and further incite violence against the most visible and economically vulnerable category of street-based sex workers. Parallel enforcement of morals against this group of 'urban undesirables' resulted in bodily harm and further degradation of the female sex worker under the guise of COVID emergency decrees, while restrictions weakened protection from peers and outreach workers against abuse by the police and other perpetrators. The State needs to act against unlawful police action and include impact mitigation strategies in its public health response to COVID in order to protect the most vulnerable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolien Aantjes
- Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Vasco Muchanga
- Faculty of Medicine, Community Health Department, Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Khátia Munguambe
- Faculty of Medicine, Community Health Department, Sexual and Reproductive Health Unit, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique
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Lasseter G, Compston P, Robin C, Lambert H, Hickman M, Denford S, Reynolds R, Zhang J, Cai S, Zhang T, Smith LE, Rubin GJ, Yardley L, Amlôt R, Oliver I. Exploring the impact of shielding advice on the wellbeing of individuals identified as clinically extremely vulnerable amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods evaluation. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:2145. [PMID: 36418978 PMCID: PMC9685010 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-14368-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The national shielding programme was introduced by UK Government at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with individuals identified as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) offered advice and support to stay at home and avoid all non-essential contact. This study aimed to explore the impact and responses of "shielding" on the health and wellbeing of CEV individuals in Southwest England during the first COVID-19 lockdown. METHODS A two-stage mixed methods study, including a structured survey (7 August-23 October 2020) and semi-structured telephone interviews (26 August-30 September 2020) with a sample of individuals who had been identified as CEV and advised to "shield" by Bristol, North Somerset & South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). RESULTS The survey was completed by 203 people (57% female, 54% > 69 years, 94% White British, 64% retired) in Southwest England identified as CEV by BNSSG CCG. Thirteen survey respondents participated in follow-up interviews (53% female, 40% > 69 years, 100% White British, 61% retired). Receipt of 'official' communication from NHS England or General Practitioner (GP) was considered by participants as the legitimate start of shielding. 80% of survey responders felt they received all relevant advice needed to shield, yet interviewees criticised the timing of advice and often sought supplementary information. Shielding behaviours were nuanced, adapted to suit personal circumstances, and waned over time. Few interviewees received community support, although food boxes and informal social support were obtained by some. Worrying about COVID-19 was common for survey responders (90%). Since shielding had begun, physical and mental health reportedly worsened for 35% and 42% of survey responders respectively. 21% of survey responders scored ≥ 10 on the PHQ-9 questionnaire indicating possible depression and 15% scored ≥ 10 on the GAD-7 questionnaire indicating possible anxiety. CONCLUSIONS This research highlights the difficulties in providing generic messaging that is applicable and appropriate given the diversity of individuals identified as CEV and the importance of sharing tailored and timely advice to inform shielding decisions. Providing messages that reinforce self-determined action and assistance from support services could reduce the negative impact of shielding on mental health and feelings of social isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemma Lasseter
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN UK
| | - Polly Compston
- grid.515304.60000 0005 0421 4601Field Epidemiology Service, UK Health Security Agency, Cambridge, UK
| | - Charlotte Robin
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN UK ,grid.515304.60000 0005 0421 4601Field Epidemiology, Field Service, National Infection Service, UK Health Security Agency, Liverpool, UK ,grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK ,grid.10025.360000 0004 1936 8470NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Gastrointestinal Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Helen Lambert
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN UK
| | - Matthew Hickman
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN UK
| | - Sarah Denford
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN UK ,grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Rosy Reynolds
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN UK
| | - Juan Zhang
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Shenghan Cai
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tingting Zhang
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Louise E. Smith
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response, King’s College London, London, UK ,grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychological Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - G James Rubin
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emergency Preparedness and Response, King’s College London, London, UK ,grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychological Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Lucy Yardley
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN UK ,grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK ,grid.5491.90000 0004 1936 9297Psychology Department, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Richard Amlôt
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN UK ,grid.515304.60000 0005 0421 4601Behavioural Science and Insights Unit, UK Health Security Agency, Salisbury, UK
| | - Isabel Oliver
- grid.5337.20000 0004 1936 7603NIHR Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation, Bristol Medical School, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN UK ,grid.515304.60000 0005 0421 4601Field Epidemiology Service, UK Health Security Agency, Cambridge, UK
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Arefin S, Rashid T, Bhattacharjee M, Habib MD, Islam MA, Rahaman MA. "The whole sky has broken down on me. I might die alone": A qualitative study on the lived experiences of COVID-19 positive frontline workers in Bangladesh. FRONTIERS IN SOCIOLOGY 2022; 7:1054921. [PMID: 36466800 PMCID: PMC9709121 DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2022.1054921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Many countries, including Bangladesh, have conducted research on the mental health of frontline workers and their challenges in adjusting to their new workplaces. However, the authors are unaware of any studies on their real-life experiences as COVID-19-positive patients in Bangladesh. This study intends to investigate the lived experiences of Bangladeshi frontline workers who were isolated as a result of the COVID-19 infection and tested positive for the virus. We used a qualitative methodology and a semi-structured interview guide to conduct ten interviews between July 26 and August 12, 2020. The participants were recruited via a social media campaign and purposive sampling. All interviews were conducted via telephone and online and were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. The study does, however, identify four primary themes and 13 supporting themes, including (1) experience in a new working environment (subthemes: workload and adaptation, maintaining health protocol and social distance, and the fear of infection), (2) diagnosis (subthemes: the origin of infection, physiological problems, experiences at the diagnosis center), (3) recovery days (subthemes: earlier reactions, experiences in isolation, coping mechanisms), and (4) post-COVID-19 (subthemes: excitement, fear, and confusion; physiological problems; increased religiosity; and changes in philosophy). This study is important for healthcare policymakers because it helps them design healthcare management systems that take Bangladeshi society's social context into account. This study also recommends that long-term behavioral change programs be implemented by national policymakers to lessen societal stigma. At the same time, it suggests that the government should help lessen the barriers to health care services that persons with lower socioeconomic status confront.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shamsul Arefin
- Department of Sociology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Tamanna Rashid
- Department of Sociology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mowsume Bhattacharjee
- Department of Sociology, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- School of Sociology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Md. Ashraful Islam
- A2i-Aspire to Innovate, A Bangladesh Government and UNDP Supported Programme, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Mohammad Anisur Rahaman
- Department of Sociology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Li S, Gu J. “We are pests, we have no future”: The prediction of anxiety by perceived discrimination in patients with coronavirus: Mediating role of psychological resilience. Front Psychol 2022; 13:979186. [DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.979186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In a short amount of time, the COVID-19 pandemic has played havoc on social security, and people infected with coronavirus may have suffered from both physical and mental health issues requiring treatment. The purpose of our study was to examine the effect of perceived discrimination on anxiety in patients with coronavirus and to observe the role of psychological resilience as a mediator in this process. 376 patients with coronavirus were given a questionnaire, and 26 of them participated in in-depth interviews. Our results demonstrated that perceived discrimination in patients with coronavirus was predictive of anxiety and that strong perceptions of discrimination reduced patients’ psychological resilience levels, thereby triggering severe anxiety. Furthermore, psychological resilience was demonstrated to be a significant predictor of anxiety severity. Psychological resilience has been shown to act as a mediator between perceived discrimination and anxiety. As a response to COVID-19, the government, the media, and the general public should treat patients with coronavirus scientifically and rationally, minimize the secondary psychological damage caused by the perception of discrimination to the special groups of society represented by patients with coronavirus during the pandemic, correct the erroneous stigma generated by the traditional communication process, and prevent the spread of the psychosocial virus.
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Trinh DH, McKinn S, Nguyen AT, Fox GJ, Nguyen AT, Bernays S. Uneven stigma loads: Community interpretations of public health policies, 'evidence' and inequities in shaping Covid-19 stigma in Vietnam. SSM Popul Health 2022; 20:101270. [PMID: 36267122 PMCID: PMC9558770 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The infectious spread of COVID-19 has been accompanied by stigma in both global and local contexts, sparking concern about its negative effect on individuals, communities, and public health responses. The changing epidemiological context of the COVID-19 epidemic and evolving public health responses during the first year of the pandemic (2020) in Vietnam serve as a case study to qualitatively explore the fluidity of stigma. We conducted in-depth interviews with 38 individuals, (13 cases, 9 close contacts, and 16 community members) from areas affected by local outbreaks. Thematic analysis was conducted iteratively. Our analysis indicates that the extent and impacts of COVID-19-related stigma were uneven. Adapting the clinical term 'viral load' as a metaphor, we describe this variation through the wide range of 'stigma load' noted in participants' experiences. Individuals encountering more acute stigma, i.e. the highest 'stigma load', were those associated with COVID-19 at the start of the local outbreaks. These intensively negative social responses were driven by a social meaning-making process that misappropriated an inaccurate understanding of epidemiological logic. Specifically, contact tracing was presumed within the public consciousness to indicate linear blame, with individuals falsely considered to have engaged in 'transgressive mobility', with onward transmission perceived as being intentional. In contrast, as case numbers grew within an outbreak the imagined linearity of the infection chain was disrupted and lower levels of stigma were experienced, with COVID-19 transmission and association reframed as reflecting an environmental rather than behavioural risk. Our findings demonstrate the role of public health policies in unintentionally creating conditions for stigma to flourish. However, this is fluid. The social perceptions of infection risk shifted from being individualised to environmental, suggesting that stigma can be modified and mitigated through attending to the productive social lives of public health approaches and policies. Those associated with COVID-19 experienced variable degrees of stigma - 'stigma load'. Those linked to COVID-19 at the start of outbreaks experienced highest stigma load. Misinterpretation of public health strategies contributed to blaming discourses. Stigma receded when risk framed as environmental not behavioural. Fluidity of stigma suggests potential to allay stigmatising effect of interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Shannon McKinn
- Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Greg J. Fox
- Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Ha Noi, Viet Nam,Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia,Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Anh Thu Nguyen
- Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Ha Noi, Viet Nam,Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia,Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Sarah Bernays
- Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia,Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK,Corresponding author. Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
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Yufika A, Pratama R, Anwar S, Winardi W, Librianty N, Prashanti NAP, Sari TNW, Utomo PS, Dwiamelia T, Natha PPC, Salwiyadi S, Asrizal FW, Ikram I, Wulandari I, Haryanto S, Fenobilire N, Wagner AL, Jamil KF, Mudatsir M, Harapan H. Stigma Associated with COVID-19 Among Health Care Workers in Indonesia. Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2022; 16:1942-1946. [PMID: 33762053 PMCID: PMC8207538 DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2021.93] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the stigma associated with coronavirus disease - 2019 (COVID-19) among health care workers (HCWs) in Indonesia during the early phase of the pandemic. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 hospitals across the country in March, 2020. A logistic regression was employed to assess the association between stigma and explanatory variables. RESULTS In total, 288 HCWs were surveyed, of which 93.4% had never experienced any outbreaks. Approximately 21.9% of the respondents had stigma associated with COVID-19. HCWs who were doctors, had not participated in trainings related to COVID-19, worked in the capital of the province, worked at private hospitals, or worked at a hospital with COVID-19 triage protocols were likely to have no stigma associated with COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS The stigma associated with COVID-19 is relatively high among HCWs in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Adequate dissemination of knowledge and adequate protection are necessary to reduce stigma among HCWs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Yufika
- Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
- Medical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
| | - Rovy Pratama
- Medical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
| | - Samsul Anwar
- Department of Statistics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
| | - Wira Winardi
- Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
| | - Nurfanida Librianty
- Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, West Java, Indonesia
| | | | | | - Prattama Santoso Utomo
- Department of Medical Education and Bioethics, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | | | - Putu Pangestu Cendra Natha
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Udayana, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
- Department of Internal Medicine, Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia
| | - Salwiyadi Salwiyadi
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Zainoel Abidin Hospital, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
| | | | - Ikram Ikram
- Dr H Yuliddin Away Hospital, Tapaktuan, Aceh, Indonesia
| | - Irma Wulandari
- M. Hatta Brain Hospital, Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia
| | - Sotianingsih Haryanto
- Raden Mattaher Hospital, Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia
- Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Jambi University, Jambi, Jambi, Indonesia
| | | | - Abram L Wagner
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Kurnia Fitri Jamil
- Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dr. Zainoel Abidin Hospital, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
- Tropical Disease Centre, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
| | - Mudatsir Mudatsir
- Medical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
- Tropical Disease Centre, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
| | - Harapan Harapan
- Medical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
- Tropical Disease Centre, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
- Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia
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Shoib S, Srikanth S, Javed S, Gupta AK, Swed S, Das S. Altruistic suicide among Indians during the COVID-19 pandemic - Correspondence. Int J Surg 2022; 106:106933. [PMID: 36126858 PMCID: PMC9482442 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2022.106933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sheikh Shoib
- Department of Psychiatry, Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Hospital, Srinagar, Kashmir, India
| | | | - Sana Javed
- Nishtar Medical University, Multan, Pakistan
| | | | - Sarya Swed
- Faculty of Medicine, Aleppo University, Aleppo, Syria
| | - Soumitra Das
- Consultant Psychiatrist, Sunshine Hospital, Victoria, Australia
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Mistry SK, Ali ARMM, Yadav UN, Huda MN, Rahman MM, Saha M, Rahman MA, Lim D, Ghimire S. Stigma toward people with COVID-19 among Bangladeshi older adults. Front Public Health 2022; 10:982095. [PMID: 36176510 PMCID: PMC9514800 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.982095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The onset of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and its overwhelming physical and mental health burden can result in stigmatization toward the disease and those affected. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of COVID-19-related stigma and its associated factors among older people in Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,045 Bangladeshi older adults aged 60 years and above through telephone interviews in September 2021. The outcome was measured using an eight-point Stigma Scale, adapted to the Bengali language. Level of stigma was indicated by the cumulative score of the eight-items, ranging from 0 to 8, with a higher score indicating a higher level of stigma. On average, participants had stigmas on three of the eight items, and 62.6% had a high stigma score. The most prevalent stigmas were as follows: COVID-19 is a punishment from God (79.3%), patients with previous COVID-19 must be isolated (67.3%), and people infected with COVID-19 did not meet hygiene standards (63.9%). Participants who lived in rural areas (β: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.39 to 0.95) and who perceived needing additional care during the pandemic (β: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.09 to 0.60) had a higher average stigma score, whereas stigma scores were lower among unemployed/retired participants (β: -0.22, 95% CI: -0.45 to 0.00). The study findings suggest implementing interventions to raise awareness through appropriate health literacy interventions and mass media campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabuj Kanti Mistry
- Department of Health Research, ARCED Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- BRAC James P. Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Department of Public Health, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Uday Narayan Yadav
- Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Md. Nazmul Huda
- Department of Health Research, ARCED Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Translational Health Research Institute, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbeltown, NSW, Australia
| | - Md. Mahmudur Rahman
- Research, Monitoring and Information Management Organization/Institutions, Deep Eye Care Foundation, Rangpur, Bangladesh
| | - Manika Saha
- Department of Human-Centred Computing, Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
| | | | - David Lim
- Translational Health Research Institute, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbeltown, NSW, Australia
- School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Campbeltown, NSW, Australia
| | - Saruna Ghimire
- Department of Sociology and Gerontology and Scripps Gerontology Center, Miami University, Oxford, OH, United States
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Zhang P, Chen S. Association between workplace and mental health and its mechanisms during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional, population-based, multi-country study. J Affect Disord 2022; 310:116-122. [PMID: 35545153 PMCID: PMC9078935 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.05.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic worsens populations' mental health. However, little is known about the COVID-19-related mental health among remote workers. METHODS We retrieved data from survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, covering 27 countries. Eligible people were those employed. The main outcome is the mental disorder, covering four aspects: depression, anxiety, sleep disorder, and loneliness. Country-specific weighted mixed models were fitted to estimate the association of workplaces with mental health, controlled for age, gender, education level, living alone, making ends meets, working hours, closing to suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases, received anti-virus protection, social contact, disability, and chronic disease. Moderate analyses were conducted to explore possible mechanisms. RESULTS 11,197 participants were included, among them 29.3% suffered at least one worse mental disorder. After controlling for covariates, compared with those who worked at the usual workplace, those who worked at home only or part of the time did not associate with worse mental disorders (p-value ≥0.1395), and those who worked at neither the usual workplace nor home had a 55% higher likelihood of suffering from worse mental disorders (OR = 1.55, 95%CI 1.03-2.36). The mediation analyses identified three indirect pathways by which workplaces influence mental health, including making ends meets, social contact, and receiving anti-virus protection. Detailed results on subtypes of mental disorders were also provided. LIMITATIONS All assessments were self-reported, resulting in a risk of method bias. CONCLUSIONS During the COVID-19 pandemic, working at other places, neither at the usual workplace nor home, worsened mental health. Evidence provided in this study will contribute to more nuanced and practical public health policy strategy making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Zhang
- Institute of Hospital Management, ZhongNan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
| | - Shanquan Chen
- School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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Anantharam P, Hoffman A, Noonan M, Bugli D, Pechta L, Bornemann J, Victory KR, Greiner AL. Addressing Operational Challenges Faced by COVID-19 Public Health Rapid Response Teams in Non-United States Settings. Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2022; 16:1599-1603. [PMID: 33719992 PMCID: PMC7985625 DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2020.487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global response underscores the need for a multidisciplinary approach that integrates and coordinates various public health systems-surveillance, laboratory, and health-care systems/networks, among others-as part of a larger emergency response system. Multidisciplinary public health rapid response teams (RRTs) are one mechanism used within a larger COVID-19 outbreak response strategy. As COVID-19 RRTs are deployed, countries are facing operational challenges in optimizing their RRT's impact, while ensuring the safety of their RRT responders. From March to May 2020, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received requests from 12 countries for technical assistance related to COVID-19 RRTs and emergency operations support. Challenges included: (1) an insufficient number of RRT responders available for COVID-19 deployments; (2) limited capacity to monitor RRT responders' health, safety, and resiliency; (3) difficulty converting critical in-person RRT operational processes to remote information technology platforms; and (4) stigmatization of RRT responders hindering COVID-19 interventions. Although geographically and socioeconomically diverse, these 12 countries experienced similar RRT operational challenges, indicating potential applicability to other countries. As the response has highlighted the critical need for immediate and effective implementation measures, addressing these challenges is essential to ensuring an impactful and sustainable COVID-19 response strategy globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puneet Anantharam
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global Health Protection, Emergency Response and Recovery Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Adela Hoffman
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global Health Protection, Emergency Response and Recovery Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michelle Noonan
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Office of Safety, Security & Asset Management, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Dante Bugli
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global Health Protection, Emergency Response and Recovery Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Laura Pechta
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global Health Protection, Office of the Director, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jennifer Bornemann
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of the Chief Operating Officer, Office of Safety, Security & Asset Management, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Kerton R. Victory
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global Health Protection, Emergency Response and Recovery Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Ashley L. Greiner
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Global Health Protection, Emergency Response and Recovery Branch, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Age Differences in Psychological Antecedents and Behavioral Consequences of Stigmatization Associated with COVID-19 among Koreans. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19148594. [PMID: 35886444 PMCID: PMC9316940 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19148594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
The first goal of this study is to develop a conceptual model of the causal relationship between psychological antecedents (internal attribution, anger, dangerousness, fear) of stigmatization, stigmatization (public stigma, anticipated stigma), and the behavioral consequences (compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines, COVID-19 testing intention) of stigmatization associated with COVID-19. The second goal of the study is to investigate the age differences in the conceptual model between younger and older adults unconfirmed with COVID-19 in Korea. After building the model based on previous studies, an online survey was conducted with Koreans in their 20s (n = 300, females: 50%) and 60s (n = 300, females: 50%) who had not been confirmed with COVID-19. The results revealed that for participants in their 20s and 60s, their internal attribution of COVID-19 infection to individuals confirmed with COVID-19 enhanced their anger at the individuals. Afterward, their anger increased their anticipated stigma of being confirmed with COVID-19 through enhancing the public stigma of the individuals confirmed with COVID-19. Unexpectedly, the fear of individuals confirmed with COVID-19 elicited by the dangerousness of the individuals had no effect on the public stigma of the individuals among participants in their 20s and 60s. The fear directly enhanced their compliance with the COVID-19 prevention guidelines. Next, for participants in their 20s, their anticipated stigma increased their compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines, but not their COVID-19 testing intention. However, the anticipated stigma did not affect both the compliance with the COVID-19 prevention guidelines and COVID-19 testing intention among participants in their 60s. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.
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Gumede N, Durden E, Govender E. Presidential communication approaches and the impact on public health: a comparative analysis of three South African presidents' communication on AIDS and COVID-19. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF AIDS RESEARCH : AJAR 2022; 21:143-151. [PMID: 35901300 DOI: 10.2989/16085906.2022.2091463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The HIV response in the African continent over past decades demonstrates the potency that the words and actions of political leaders have in either expediting or impeding the implementation and adoption of preventive measures at the individual and community levels. The article explores the health communication approaches employed by two South African past presidents (Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma) in responding to the HIV epidemic, and contrasts these with the communicative approach of President Cyril Ramaphosa during the COVID-19 pandemic. Approached from this understanding, this article provides a comparative analysis of the communication approaches of these three presidencies across the two pandemics, and considers the variously trusted sources of top-down, government-driven and bottom-up, community-informed approaches to health communication. Critical lessons that emerged in South Africa during the HIV epidemic regarding the need to include communities in communicating about risks and behaviour change have not been adopted into the COVID-19 response. Political leaders are not best placed to communicate about these issues, and, in the context of pandemics, there is a clear need to reconsider top-down communication approaches that are designed without the participation of communities and ignore the interconnected nature of health and other social determinants of health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nompumelelo Gumede
- Centre for Communication, Media & Society, College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Emma Durden
- Centre for Communication, Media & Society, College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Eliza Govender
- Centre for Communication, Media & Society, College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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43
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Namer Y, Drüke F, Razum O. Transformative Encounters: A Narrative Review of Involving People Living With HIV/AIDS in Public Health Teaching. Public Health Rev 2022; 43:1604570. [PMID: 35813031 PMCID: PMC9258193 DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2022.1604570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: To collate the experiences of involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in academic public health teaching to inform future public health education models involving people affected by long-term effects of other pandemics. Our goal is to describe interventions in a way that makes them accessible to potential public health teachers hoping to adapt patient involvement paradigms in their teaching of chronic illness brought on by infectious diseases. Methods: Narrative review based on a literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar up to September 2021. Fifteen articles that contained a description of a health educational intervention on HIV/AIDS that actively involved PLWHA were included. Results: Interventions either involved PLWHA as teachers and program/curriculum developers or incorporated experiential elements in which students have genuine contact with PLWHA. Creating safe spaces, recognizing PLWHA as experts, relating to each other differently were common transformative elements. Conclusion: Involving PLWHA in public health teaching have transformative and empowering outcomes, both for PLWHA and for learners. This finding should inform new teaching programs that will address the long-term effects of other pandemics such as COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudit Namer
- Department of Epidemiology and International Public Health, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Research Institute Social Cohesion, Bielefeld, Germany
- *Correspondence: Yudit Namer,
| | - Florian Drüke
- Department of Epidemiology and International Public Health, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Oliver Razum
- Department of Epidemiology and International Public Health, School of Public Health, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Research Institute Social Cohesion, Bielefeld, Germany
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Daniels J, Rettie H. The Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Second Wave on Shielders and Their Family Members. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19127333. [PMID: 35742580 PMCID: PMC9223363 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19127333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
In March 2020, individuals shielding from coronavirus reported high rates of distress. This study investigated whether fear of contamination (FoC) and use of government-recommended behaviours (GRB; e.g., handwashing and wearing masks) were associated with psychological distress during February 2021. An online cross-sectional questionnaire assessed psychological distress in three groups (shielding self, shielding other/s, and control), and those shielding others also completed an adapted measure of health anxiety (α = 0.94). The sample (N = 723) was predominantly female (84%) with a mean age of 41.72 (SD = 15.15). Those shielding (self) demonstrated significantly higher rates of health anxiety and FoC in comparison to other groups (p < 0.001). The use of GRB was significantly lower in controls (p < 0.001), with no significant difference between the two shielding groups (p = 0.753). Rates of anxiety were higher when compared to March 2020 findings, except for controls. Hierarchical regressions indicated FoC and GRB accounted for 24% of variance in generalised anxiety (p < 0.001) and 28% in health anxiety, however, the latter was a non-significant predictor in final models. Those shielding themselves and others during the pandemic have experienced sustained levels of distress; special consideration must be given to those indirectly affected. Psychological interventions should account for realistic FoC and the impact of government-recommended health behaviours, as these factors are associated with distress in vulnerable groups and may extend beyond the pandemic. Future research should focus on longitudinal designs to monitor and better understand the clinical needs of those shielding, and those shielding others post-pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jo Daniels
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK;
- North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - Hannah Rettie
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK;
- North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol BS10 5NB, UK
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Huang F, Chen WT, Sun W, Lin M, Shiu CS, Zhang L, Lu H. Adaptation and Validation of the COVID-19 Stigma Instrument in Nurses:A Cross-sectional Survey. RESEARCH SQUARE 2022:rs.3.rs-1655493. [PMID: 35665003 PMCID: PMC9164521 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-1655493/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Background: Stigma is a prominent issue among nurses working with patients with infectious diseases, but the unavailability of validated measures of such stigma. The aim of our study was to adapt, modify, and validate the COVID-19 Stigma Instrument-Nurse -Version 3 (CSI-N-3) with both classical test theory and item response theory (IRT) analysis. Methods: We administered the scale to 249 eligible nurses who worked in a COVID-19 designed hospital in Shanghai, China. Results: The two-factor structure was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The 15-item CSI-N-3 achieved Cronbach's α of 0.64 to 0.84. Convergent validity was also demonstrated. In IRT analysis, the CSI-N-3 has ordered response thresholds, with the appropriate item difficulty and infit and outfit mean squares. Self-reported social support was the only factor influencing nurses' COVID-19 stigma (standardized coefficients β =-0.21). Conclusions: The CSI-N-3 is an instrument with sound psychometric properties that can be used to measure COVID-19 stigma during the COVID-19 outbreak or afterward among nurses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifei Huang
- School of Nursing, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
| | | | - Wenxiu Sun
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Meilian Lin
- Fuqing Health School of Fujian Province, Fuqing, China
| | - Cheng-Shi Shiu
- National Taiwan University, Department of Social Work, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Lin Zhang
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongzhou Lu
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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46
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Niroshana N, Siriwardana C, Jayasekara R. The impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry and lessons learned: a case of Sri Lanka. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/15623599.2022.2076016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nayana Niroshana
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Katubedda, Sri Lanka
| | | | - Ravindu Jayasekara
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Katubedda, Sri Lanka
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Abstract
Stigma changes over time: it waxes and wanes through history, is manifested within humans who develop over time and is tied to statuses (such as attributes, illnesses and identities) that have varying courses. Despite the inherent fluidity of stigma, theories, research and interventions typically treat associations between stigma and health as stagnant. Consequently, the literature provides little insight into when experiences of stigma are most harmful to health and when stigma interventions should be implemented. In this Perspective, we argue that integrating time into stigma research can accelerate progress towards understanding and intervening in associations between stigma and health inequities. We situate time in relation to key concepts in stigma research, identify three timescales that are relevant for understanding stigma (historical context, human development and status course), and outline a time-based research agenda to improve scientists’ ability to understand and address stigma to improve health. Associations between stigma and health are typically treated as stagnant. In this Perspective, Earnshaw et al. argue that considering stigma in relation to historical, human development and status course timescales can advance progress in understanding and addressing stigma to improve health.
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Marchi M, Magarini FM, Chiarenza A, Galeazzi GM, Paloma V, Garrido R, Ioannidi E, Vassilikou K, de Matos MG, Gaspar T, Guedes FB, Primdahl NL, Skovdal M, Murphy R, Durbeej N, Osman F, Watters C, van den Muijsenbergh M, Sturm G, Oulahal R, Padilla B, Willems S, Spiritus-Beerden E, Verelst A, Derluyn I. Experience of discrimination during COVID-19 pandemic: the impact of public health measures and psychological distress among refugees and other migrants in Europe. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:942. [PMID: 35538463 PMCID: PMC9090600 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13370-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately hard impact on refugees and other migrants who are often exposed to the virus with limited means to protect themselves. We tested the hypothesis that during the COVID-19 pandemic, refugees and other migrants have suffered a negative impact on mental health and have been unjustly discriminated for spreading the disease in Europe (data collection from April to November 2020). Methods Participants in the ApartTogether Survey (N = 8297, after listwise deletion of missing items final N = 3940) provided data regarding to their difficulties to adhere to preventive recommendations against COVID-19 infection (CARE), self-perceived stigmatization (SS), and psychological distress (PD). Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate PD as a mediator in the pathway linking CARE to SS, while adjusting for the housing and residence status. To improve confidence in the findings, single hold-out sample cross-validation was performed using a train/test split ratio of 0.8/0.2. Results In the exploratory set (N = 3159) SS was associated with both CARE (B = 0.200, p < 0.001) and PD (B = 0.455, p < 0.001). Moreover, PD was also associated with CARE (B = 0.094, p = 0.001) and mediated the effect of CARE on SS (proportion mediated = 17.7%, p = 0.001). The results were successfully replicated in the confirmation set (N = 781; total effect = 0.417, p < 0.001; proportion mediated = 29.7%, p < 0.001). Follow-up analyses also found evidence for an opposite effect (i.e., from SS to CARE, B = 0.132; p < 0.001), suggesting that there might be a vicious circle between the self-perceived stigmatization and the access to health care and the use of preventive measures against COVID-19 infection. Conclusions Refugees and other migrants who had more difficulties in accessing health care and preventive measures against COVID-19 infection experienced worse mental health and increased discrimination. These negative effects appeared to be stronger for those with more insecure housing and residence status, highlighting from one side the specific risk of insecure housing in the impact of COVID-19 upon mental health and infection protection, and for another side the need to proper housing as a strategy to prevent both COVID-19 and mental distress. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13370-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Marchi
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi, 287 -, 41125, Modena, Italy.,Dipartimento di Salute Mentale e Dipendenze Patologiche, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Via Giovanni Amendola 2 -, 42122, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Federica Maria Magarini
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi, 287 -, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Antonio Chiarenza
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi, 287 -, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Gian Maria Galeazzi
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Giuseppe Campi, 287 -, 41125, Modena, Italy. .,Dipartimento di Salute Mentale e Dipendenze Patologiche, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Via Giovanni Amendola 2 -, 42122, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
| | - Virginia Paloma
- Department of Social Psychology, Universidad de Sevilla, 41018, Seville, Spain
| | - Rocío Garrido
- Department of Social Psychology, Universidad de Sevilla, 41018, Seville, Spain
| | - Elisabeth Ioannidi
- Research Center for Greek Society, Academy of Athens, 15126, Athens, Greece
| | | | | | - Tania Gaspar
- Institute of Environmental Health/ISAMB, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Nina Langer Primdahl
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Skovdal
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rebecca Murphy
- Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, W23 F2K8, Co. Kildare, Maynooth, Ireland
| | - Natalie Durbeej
- Department of Child Health and Parenting, Uppsala University, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Fatumo Osman
- Department of Child Health and Parenting, Uppsala University, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden.,School of Health and Welfare, Dalarna University, Högskolegatan 2, 79188, Falun, Sweden
| | - Charles Watters
- Department of School of Education and Social Work, University of Sussex, Sussex, UK
| | | | - Gesine Sturm
- LCPI Laboratory, EA-4591, Department Clinique du Sujet, University of Toulouse 2, 31058, Toulouse, France
| | - Rachid Oulahal
- La Reunion University FR, DIRE research center, French Collaborative Institute on Migration, CS, 92003, 15 Av. René Cassin, Saint-Denis, Cedex 9 97400, Réunion
| | - Beatriz Padilla
- Department of Sociology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, 33620, USA
| | - Sara Willems
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Quality and Safety Ghent, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Eva Spiritus-Beerden
- Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - An Verelst
- Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ilse Derluyn
- Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
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Dhungana Sainju K, Zaidi H, Mishra N, Kuffour A. Xenophobic Bullying and COVID-19: An Exploration Using Big Data and Qualitative Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19084824. [PMID: 35457691 PMCID: PMC9024955 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19084824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Extant literature suggests that xenophobic bullying is intensified by isolated national or global events; however, the analysis of such occurrences is methodologically limited to the use of self-reported data. Examining disclosures of racist bullying episodes enables us to contextualize various perspectives that are shared online and generate insights on how COVID-19 has exacerbated the issue. Moreover, understanding the rationale and characteristics present in xenophobic bullying may have important implications for our social wellbeing, mental health, and inclusiveness as a global community both in the short and long term. This study employs a mixed-method approach using Big Data techniques as well as qualitative analysis of xenophobic bullying disclosures on Twitter following the spread of COVID-19. The data suggests that about half of the sample represented xenophobic bullying. The qualitative analysis also found that 64% of xenophobic bullying-related tweets referred to occasions that perpetuated racist stereotypes. Relatedly, the rationale for almost 75% of xenophobic bullying incidents was due to being Chinese or Asian. The findings of this study, coupled with anti-hate reports from around the world, are used to suggest multipronged policy interventions and considerations of how social media sites such as Twitter can be used to curb the spread of misinformation and xenophobic bullying.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla Dhungana Sainju
- Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Ontario Tech University, 2000 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5, Canada; (H.Z.); (A.K.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Huda Zaidi
- Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Ontario Tech University, 2000 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5, Canada; (H.Z.); (A.K.)
| | - Niti Mishra
- Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 105 St. George St., Toronto, ON M5S 3E, Canada;
| | - Akosua Kuffour
- Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Ontario Tech University, 2000 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa, ON L1G 0C5, Canada; (H.Z.); (A.K.)
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50
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Chaturvedi S, Susmitha R, Nayak D, Digal G, Singh T. Stigma and Discrimination: the Twain Impact on Mental Health During COVID-19 Pandemic. TRENDS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [PMCID: PMC9007618 DOI: 10.1007/s43076-022-00179-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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