Social Stigma, Mental Health, Stress, and Health-Related Quality of Life in People with Long Covid

Bibliographic Data

ID15499135
AuthorsUlrich Scholz (0000-0003-0184-5921, University of Zurich, corresponding author), Walter Bierbauer (0000-0003-2745-4865, University of Zurich), Janina Lüscher (0000-0003-2453-1925, Swiss Paraplegic Research)
Year2023
Volume20
Issue5
Pages3927-3927
Publication date2023-02-22
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph20053927
PMID36900938
OpenAlexW4321599166
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited27

A considerable amount of people who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 experience ongoing symptoms, a condition termed long COVID. This study examined nuanced experiences of social stigma in people with long COVID and their associations with perceived stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and mental and physical health-related quality of life (hrqol). A total of N = 253 participants with long COVID symptoms (mean age = 45.49, SD = 12.03; n = 224, 88.5% women) completed a cross-sectional online survey on overall social stigma and the subfacets enacted and perceived external stigma, disclosure concerns, and internalized stigma. Data were analysed using multiple regression and controlling for overall burden of consequences of long COVID, overall burden of symptoms of long COVID, and outcome-specific confounders. In line with our preregistered hypotheses, total social stigma was related to more perceived stress, more depressive symptoms, higher anxiety, and lower mental hrqol, but-in contrast to our hypothesis-it was unrelated to physical hrqol after controlling for confounders. The three subscales of social stigma resulted in differential associations with the outcomes. Social stigma experiences go hand in hand with worse mental health in people with long COVID. Future studies should examine potential protective factors to buffer the effects of social stigma on people's well-being

Anxiety · Confounding · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Cross-sectional study · Depressive symptoms · Disease · Infectious disease (medical specialty · Mental health · Psychiatry · Quality of life (healthcare · Social distance · Social isolation · Social stigma · Social support · Stigma (botany · Clinical Psychology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology

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