COVID-19 perceived stigma among survivors: A cross-sectional study of prevalence and predictors

Perceived stigma related to infectious diseases is of public health importance and can adversely impact patients' physical and mental health. This study aims to identify the level of perceived stigma among COVID-19 survivors in Qatar and investigate its predictors.

An analytical cross-sectional design was employed. Four hundred and four participants who had a positive COVID-19 PCR test were randomly selected from medical records. The selected participants were interviewed to collect sociodemographic and health-related information. Perceived stigma was assessed using the COVID-19 perceived stigma scale-22 (CPSS-22) that was developed by the researchers. A descriptive analysis followed by a bivariate analysis investigated possible associations between the perceived stigma levels and independent variables. A multivariable analysis was performed using logistic regression to identify any significant associations with perceived stigma. The validity and reliability of the developed tool were also tested.

The prevalence of COVID-19 perceived stigma was twenty-six percent (n = 107, 26.4%) at 95% CI [22.4-30.4]. Factors associated with higher COVID-19 perceived stigma were male gender, being a manual worker, non-Arabic ethnicity, low educational level, living alone, and being isolated outside the home. However, only occupation, ethnicity, and low educational level predicted COVID-19 perceived stigma in multivariable analysis. The CPSS-22 showed excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.92).

Perceived stigma was relatively common among participants. Designing programs and interventions targeting male manual workers and those of low-educational levels may assist policymakers in mitigating the stigma related to COVID-19.