When and Why People Conceal Infectious Disease

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Infectious illness can lead to social stigma and exclusion.
• Individuals may conceal their sickness to avoid negative social consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the prevalence and predictors of infection concealment.
• To understand the motivations behind hiding illness.
• To explore the impact of disease characteristics on concealment decisions.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 10 studies involving U.S. university students, healthcare employees, and online workers (N=4,110).
• Assessed past, current, and projected illness experiences.
• Analyzed self-reported infection concealment and its associated factors.

Main Results:

• Approximately 75% of participants reported concealing illness in social interactions.
• Common motives for concealment included social reasons (e.g., attending events) and achievement goals (e.g., work completion).
• Perceived harm and immediacy of the illness influenced concealment, with less concealment for imagined harmful infections but frequent concealment by those actually sick.

Conclusions:

• Infection concealment is a prevalent behavior driven by social and achievement motives.
• Individuals often prioritize personal goals over potential risks to others when concealing illness.
• Disease concealment has significant public health implications due to potential transmission risks.