Experiencing stigmatization during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study among healthcare workers

Healthcare workers (HCWs) played a crucial role in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to increased workloads, they were confronted with stigmatization due to their work in the health sector.

Guided by the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework (HSDF), this study aimed to explore the experiences of stigmatization of HCWs in Germany using semi-structured interviews (N = 34) and investigate effective coping strategies and existing needs in this context. An intersectional perspective was adopted to examine the relevance of multiple stigmatization. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

The results indicated that HCWs were affected by multiple forms of stigmata (public, anticipated, and self-stigma) from different sources (e.g., in private, public, and work contexts). Different drivers for stigmatization were mentioned, but the fear of infection and its consequences were central. The consequences of the stigmatization experience had a primarily restrictive effect on quality of life and social participation on a psychological, social, and professional level. To cope with the stigmatization, those affected reported behavioral and cognitive coping strategies. In addition to the stigmatization in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became apparent that HCWs experienced additional stigmatization primarily due to their (female) gender, but also due to their profession (i.e., nursing) and (young) age.

Implications for research, policy, and practice were derived from the results. Future research on the topic should also adopt an intersectional perspective in order to be able to depict the complexity of stigmatization processes adequately.