Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Srinagar, India.
Department of Surgery, SKIMS Medical College, Srinagar, India.
PLoS One. 2020 Nov 30;15(11):e0240152. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0240152. eCollection 2020.
Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has not only spawned a lot of stigma and discrimination towards its survivors but also to their corpses. We aimed to assess the magnitude and correlates of stigma in these survivors, on return to their communities.
This was a cross-sectional, hospital-based, exploratory study conducted by the postgraduate department of psychiatry, in collaboration with the postgraduate department of chest medicine, Govt. medical college, Srinagar. The study was performed among COVID-19 survivors, who attended the outpatient department after their discharge from the hospital. Socio-demographic characteristics were recorded through semi-structured proforma. Stigma was measured by the stigma questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.
A total of 91 survivors consented to participate in the study. Almost half (46.2%) of them were in the age group of 30-49 years and close to two-thirds (68.1%) were males. About three-fourths (74.7%) were from the urban background. The mean time from hospital discharge to study entry was 11.7±5.1 [Range(R) = 7-21] days. 98% of survivors provided at least one stigma endorsing response and the total mean stigma score was 28.5±7.1[R = 6-39]. The mean stigma sub-scores were highest for enacted stigma (7.6±1.8) [R = 2-9] and externalized stigma (15.0±4.1) [R = 1-20]. Enacted stigma was significantly high in males as compared to females. Enacted stigma and internalized stigma were both associated with education. Enacted stigma, externalized stigma, disclosure concerns, and total stigma was significantly associated with the occupation. Being unemployed and time since discharge were identified as independent predictors of total stigma.
Our study results showed high levels of enacted and externalized stigma among COVID-19 survivors. Enacted stigma was more among males and in those who were highly educated. Survivor centered and community-driven anti-stigma programs are the need of the hour to promote the recovery and community re-integration of these survivors.
新冠肺炎（COVID-19）不仅对幸存者产生了大量的污名和歧视，也对他们的尸体产生了污名和歧视。我们旨在评估这些幸存者返回社区后，对他们的污名程度和相关因素。
这是一项由精神医学研究生部门与斯利那加政府医学院胸医学研究生部门合作进行的横断面、基于医院的探索性研究。该研究在从医院出院后就诊于门诊部的 COVID-19 幸存者中进行。通过半结构式方案记录社会人口统计学特征。通过污名问卷来衡量污名。使用描述性统计和回归分析进行数据分析。
共有 91 名幸存者同意参加研究。他们中近一半（46.2%）年龄在 30-49 岁之间，近三分之二（68.1%）为男性。约四分之三（74.7%）来自城市背景。从医院出院到研究开始的平均时间为 11.7±5.1[范围（R）=7-21]天。98%的幸存者至少有一个污名肯定的反应，总平均污名分数为 28.5±7.1[R=6-39]。污名子量表的平均分数最高的是实施污名（7.6±1.8）[R=2-9]和外化污名（15.0±4.1）[R=1-20]。与女性相比，男性的实施污名明显更高。实施污名和内化污名都与教育程度有关。实施污名、外化污名、披露顾虑和总污名都与职业显著相关。失业和出院后时间是总污名的独立预测因素。
我们的研究结果表明，COVID-19 幸存者中存在高水平的实施和外化污名。实施污名在男性和受教育程度较高的人群中更为普遍。以幸存者为中心和社区驱动的反污名计划是当前的需要，以促进这些幸存者的康复和社区重新融入。
