Dataset Information

Stigma toward people with COVID-19 among the Lebanese population: a cross-sectional study of correlates and mediating effects.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Stigma develops during outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic due to the human fear that arises from the anxiety about a disease of an unknown etiology, with the associated detrimental consequences on both the individual and society. This study was conducted to assess if knowledge about COVID-19, attitude, practice and behavior regarding preventive measures against COVID-19, fear, and anxiety towards COVID-19 will affect the level of stigma and evaluate the mediating effect of fear, anxiety, and diagnosis of COVID-19 on stigma.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey conducted between December 20, 2020, and January 05, 2021, enrolled 405 participants recruited from the Lebanese population. Two scales were created and adapted to the Lebanese context to measure the current stigma (stigma discrimination scale, self-stigma scale) toward COVID-19.

Results

More than half of the sample had moderate to severe stigma discrimination (62%) and self-stigma (65.9%). The multivariable analysis showed that higher fear of COVID-19 scale (Beta = .143) was significantly associated with a higher stigma discrimination scale. Whereas, higher knowledge score (Beta = -.153) was significantly associated with a lower stigma discrimination scale. Fear of COVID-19, anxiety from COVID-19, being diagnosed with COVID-19, and having a family member with COVID-19 partially mediated the association between knowledge and stigma discrimination scale. No mediation effect of fear and anxiety scale was found between the knowledge and self-stigma score.

Conclusion

Our main findings indicate that a considerable proportion of the Lebanese population has stigma discrimination behaviors toward COVID-19 patients and that those who were infected with the virus experienced COVID-19-related stigmatization.

SUBMITTER: Haddad C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8532089 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Stigma toward people with COVID-19 among the Lebanese population: a cross-sectional study of correlates and mediating effects.

Haddad Chadia C Bou Malhab Sandrella S Malaeb Diana D Sacre Hala H Saadeh Danielle D Mourtada Vanessa V Salameh Pascale P

BMC psychology 20211022 1

<h4>Introduction</h4>Stigma develops during outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic due to the human fear that arises from the anxiety about a disease of an unknown etiology, with the associated detrimental consequences on both the individual and society. This study was conducted to assess if knowledge about COVID-19, attitude, practice and behavior regarding preventive measures against COVID-19, fear, and anxiety towards COVID-19 will affect the level of stigma and evaluate the mediating effect ...[more]

PMID: 34686218

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most devastating health crises the world has seen. One of its mental health consequences includes fear of being infected, which could lead to anxiety. This study aimed to assess the fear related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated factors among the adult population in Lebanon.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Lebanon between February 26th and April 29th, 2021. Data was collected through an online survey among adults aged 18 years and older. Information on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the participants, fear and death anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic, depression, and anxiety were collected. Multivariable linear regression analyses were carried out to identify the predictors of fear related to the COVID-19 pandemic.ResultsA total of 1840 participants were included in the analysis of which 62.9% were females and 62.2% were single. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 70 years with a mean of 26.6 ±8.8 years. Of the total participants, 41.9% felt uncomfortable thinking about the novel Coronavirus and 35.4% of candidates became nervous/anxious when watching the news about COVID-19 on social media. About one-third of the participants (33.7%) were afraid of COVID-19 and 23.8% were afraid of losing their life because of the disease. Concerning somatic symptoms of fear, 7.9% reported increased heart races or palpitations whenever they thought about getting infected with COVID-19, 3.7% complained about sleep disturbances while 2.5% developed tremors or sweating in their hands when they thought about Coronavirus. In addition, Death anxiety related to the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most fear-related factors (B = 0.191, 95% CI (0.172 to 0.211), P-value < 0.0001).ConclusionThis study provides insights on the impact of COVID-19 on individuals at the level of fear in Lebanon. Death anxiety was identified as the most significant predictor of fear related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the negative psychological effects of fear, it is necessary to educate the adults on how to deal with death anxiety and implement psychological interventions and counseling programs to relieve fear and improve the mental health of Lebanese adults.

Project description:BackgroundThe global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused many negative effects on physical and mental health of patients who have survived COVID-19. Apart from some long-lasting physical sequelae, those COVID-19 survivors are also suffering stigma and discrimination at different levels around the world. The current study aims to assess the role resilience played in stigma and mental disorders among COVID-19 survivors.MethodsThe cross-sectional study was carried out among former COVID-19 patients in Jianghan District (Wuhan, China) from June 10 to July 25, 2021. The demographic questions, the Impact of Events Scale-Revised, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire, the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Resilience Style Questionnaire and the Short Version of COVID-19 Stigma Scale of 12 items were used to collect relevant information of the participants. Descriptive analyses, Pearson correlation analysis and Structural Equation Modeling were used to make data description and analysis.ResultsA total of 1541 out of 1601 COVID-19 survivors (887 females and 654 males) were included in the analysis. Perceived stigma of those COVID-19 survivors correlates significantly with anxiety (r = 0.335, P < 0.001), depression (r = 0.325, P < 0.001) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (r = 0.384, P < 0.001). It has a direct effect on COVID-19 survivors' anxiety (β = 0.326, P < 0.001), depression (β = 0.314, P < 0.001), PTSD (β = 0.385, P < 0.001) and their resilience (β = - 0.114, P < 0.01). Resilience partially mediated the association between perceived stigma and anxiety (β = 0.020, P < 0.01), depression (β = 0.020, P < 0.01), and PTSD (β = 0.014, P < 0.01) among COVID-19 survivors.ConclusionStigma has a significant negative impact on mental health, while resilience plays a mediator role in the relationship between stigma and mental health among COVID-19 survivors. Based on our study, we suggested that when designing psychological interventions for COVID-19 survivors, consideration should be taken into account to reduce stigma and improve resilience.

Dataset Information

Stigma toward people with COVID-19 among the Lebanese population: a cross-sectional study of correlates and mediating effects.

Introduction

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Stigma toward people with COVID-19 among the Lebanese population: a cross-sectional study of correlates and mediating effects.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets