Stigma-related Factors and their Effects on Health-care Workers during COVID-19 Pandemics in Turkey: A Multicenter Study

Özet

Objectives: Infectious diseases–related stigmatization is a common feature in health-care workers (HCWs). This study aims to evaluatethe factors associated with stigmas and the effects of stigmatization in HCWs during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.Methods: This study was conducted by an anonymous online survey of 452 actively working HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic.All subjects provided informed consent electronically before registration and completed the sociodemographic data form,a questionnaire about COVID-19 pandemics, a COVID-19 stigmatization questionnaire for health-care workers, a hospital anxietydepression scale form (HADS), a psychological well-being scale form, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale short form(WHO-QOL BREF) and Coping Styles Scale brief form (CBSS-BF).Results: Perception of stigma score was significantly higher among HCWs with one or more of the following characteristics: theyhad worked with patients with COVID-19 (+) but had no specific training related to coronavirus, experienced COVID-19 symptomsthemselves, delayed testing due to anxiety, received psychological support during COVID-19 pandemics, suffered from a psychologicaldisorder, or had suicidal thoughts/attempts before or during the COVID-19 pandemic (p<0.05). A statistically significantpositive correlation was observed between the perception of stigmatization score and HAD-S (p<0.05). A statistically significantnegative correlation was observed between the perception of the stigmatization score and the Psychological Well-Being Score,CSS-BF problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping, and all subscales of WHOQOL-BRIEF (p<0.05).Conclusion: The findings of our study showed that the negative perception of stigma in HCWs could affect their psychologicalwell-being and life satisfaction. During the pandemic, it is necessary to prevent stigmatizing HCWs and improve coping strategiesto protect their mental health and increase their life quality.