Experienced discrimination and internalized stigma among people infected with Sars‐CoV‐2 and surviving Covid‐19

Association with anxiety, depression, and insomnia symptoms

Bibliographic Data

ID11042723
AuthorsAntonio Lasalvia (0000-0001-9963-6081, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences University of Verona Verona Italy), Naeem Makhdoom, Luca Bodini (0000-0002-0989-216X, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences University of Verona Verona Italy), Khaled Heissam, Davide Pace (Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences University of Verona Verona Italy), Mohamed E F EL-Bab, Morena Colombi (Associazione Italiana Long Covid (AILC) Milan Italy), S Shalaby, Mattia Marco Caruson (Mama Health Technologies GmbH Potsdam Germany), A Abdulaal, Tine Van Bortel (0000-0003-0467-6393, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Leicester School of Allied Health Sciences De Montfort University Leicester UK), Chiara Bonetto (0000-0001-9895-6403, Section of Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences University of Verona Verona Italy)
Year2024
Volume52
Issue7
Pages910-928
Publication date2024-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Community Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-4392 • E-ISSN: 1520-6629
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/jcop.23136
OpenAlexW39056479
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited55

People surviving COVID‐19 may experience social stigma related to their condition even after clinical recovery. This study aimed to: (1) investigate COVID‐19‐related experienced discrimination and internalized stigma, and (2) explore their association with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. We conducted an online survey of people who survived COVID‐19. Perception of stigma was assessed using the COVID‐19 Experienced Discrimination Scale and the COVID‐19 Internalized Stigma Scale. Depression, anxiety, and insomnia were assessed using, respectively, the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9, the General Anxiety Disorder Scale‐7, and the Insomnia Severity Index. Multivariable logistic regression analyses for each psychopathological domain were performed. A total of 579 participants participated in this study. Overall, 25% reported some degree of experienced discrimination, and 23% reported some degree of internalized stigma. Adjusted odds ratio showed that scoring higher on internalized stigma related significantly to higher symptoms of depression (2.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.35–3.39), anxiety (2.30; 95% CI, 1.48–3.59), and insomnia (2.54; 95% CI, 1.64–3.95), whereas experienced discrimination was associated to anxiety (1.55; 95% CI, 1.06–2.28) and insomnia (1.82; 95% CI, 1.24–2.69). Experiences of social stigmatization are frequent among people surviving COVID‐19 and seem to be associated with levels of psychological disturbances. Further research is required to elucidate the direction of these relationships to implement effective treatment strategies

Medical education · Health and Well-being Studies · Medicine