Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.
Department of Medical Education Research and Development, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 25;19(15):9050. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19159050.
In the face of unknown risks, including the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we tend to have stigmatized perceptions. The current study aimed to examine the association of social engagements with the level of stigmatization of COVID-19 infection among the general population. The data of 429 participants of the Utsunomiya COVID-19 seroprevalence neighborhood association (U-CORONA) study, a population-based cohort study conducted in Utsunomiya City, Japan, were analyzed. Their stigmatized perception of people with COVID-19 infection was evaluated via a questionnaire for the situation if they or others in their community were to get infected. The association between social engagements (community social capital, social network diversity, and social network size) and stigmatization were analyzed by a multiple linear regression model with generalized estimating equations. Overall, females reported a higher stigmatized perception of people with COVID-19 than males. Lower education and depressive symptoms were also positively associated with higher stigmatization, while age, household income, and comorbidities were not. People with higher community social capital reported lower stigmatization (B = -0.69, 95% CI = -1.23 to -0.16), while social network diversity and social network size did not show an association with stigmatization. We found an association between community social capital and stigmatization, suggesting that enhancing their community social capital, but not social network diversity and size, has the potential to mitigate the levels of stigmatization.
面对未知的风险，包括 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行，我们往往会产生污名化的认知。本研究旨在探讨社会参与度与普通人群对 COVID-19 感染的污名化程度之间的关系。分析了日本宇都宫市进行的基于人群的 Utsunomiya COVID-19 血清流行邻里协会（U-CORONA）研究的 429 名参与者的数据。通过问卷调查评估他们对感染 COVID-19 的人的污名化认知，如果他们或他们社区中的其他人感染了 COVID-19。采用广义估计方程的多元线性回归模型分析社会参与度（社区社会资本、社会网络多样性和社会网络规模）与污名化之间的关系。总体而言，女性对 COVID-19 患者的污名化感知高于男性。较低的教育程度和抑郁症状也与更高的污名化呈正相关，而年龄、家庭收入和合并症则没有。社区社会资本较高的人报告的污名化程度较低（B=-0.69，95%CI=-1.23 至-0.16），而社会网络多样性和规模与污名化之间没有关联。我们发现社区社会资本与污名化之间存在关联，这表明增强社区社会资本，而不是社会网络多样性和规模，有可能减轻污名化程度。
