Variability in Stigma Severity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate change in the stigma that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic over time and the factors responsible for the change. Methods Individuals with COVID-19 who presented to Ankara Medicalpark and VM Medicalpark Hospitals' Internal Diseases and Chest Diseases polyclinic between May 2021 and April 2022 were examined. The volunteers were divided into two groups: those who had COVID-19 within the first six months of the pandemic (group 1) and those who had it in the second six months (group 2). The questionnaire assessing stigma consisted of 29 propositions that participants could mark whether they agreed with them or not. Results The median age of the volunteers was 38 years. Eighty-eight (69.3%) had the disease in the first six months of the pandemic and 39 (30.7%) in the second six months. Moreover, 76.1% of the participants in the first group and 94.9% of those in the second group did not agree with the statement "I thought COVID-19 was a punishment for me" (p=0.011). Further, 56.8% of the participants in the first group and 97.4% of those in the second group stated that they did not agree with the statement "Employers may terminate the employment of employees who they find out have contracted COVID-19" (p<0.001). 80.7% of the participants in the first group and 38.5% of those in the second group agreed with the statement "There was social discrimination against people who caught COVID-19" (p<0.001).  Conclusions At the beginning of the pandemic, the participants had concerns about losing their status and jobs, but this anxiety decreased over time. Stigma in the first six months of the pandemic was greater than that in the second six months, and discrimination related to stigma decreased with recognition of the disease and the increase in experience.