COVID-19- Related Stigma in COVID-19 Survivors in Kampala, Uganda: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: COVID-19-related stigma is gradually becoming a global problem among COVID-19 survivors with far-reaching implications. However, this social problem has received little attention in research and policy. This study aimed at exploring the COVID-19-related stigma survivors in Kampala, UgandaMethods: A cross-sectional exploratory research design was used. COVID-19 survivors in Kampala district part of the study. In-depth interviews were used to collect data and analysis was done using thematic approach. Results: The results from the data showed that COVID-19-related stigma is prevalent and the common form of stigma was social rejection. Conclusions: The majority of the respondent in the sample endorsed COVID-19-related stigma and such behaviors were high in the community. The COVID-19 pandemic survivors indicated that they faced social rejection and community ostracism. Thus reducing COVID-19-related stigma is vital to control the spread of the virus. An all-inclusive effort is needed to address COVID-19-related stigma and its debilitating consequences by health workers and policy makers.

Exploring experiences of quarantined people during the early phase of COVID-19 outbreak in Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Region of Ethiopia: A qualitative study

“…Social effects which included stigma, discrimination, and loneliness were reported by the participants. Several studies have also reported stigma and discrimination against quarantined participants [50][51][52]. In this study, participants also faced economic effects such as loss of jobs, reduced income, and inability to support families as a result of financial failure due to quarantine restrictions.…”

COVID-19 Stigma and Charismatic Social Relationship: A Legitimization Narrative of President Trump’s Status as a Charismatic Leader following a SARS-CoV-2 Infection Reported by the Portuguese Media

“…The stigma generated by COVID-19 is usually a source of shame, anxiety, and potentially social rejection felt directly by the infected, stigmatized person (or the person considered by others as a possible agent of infection) but also by those close to them (family, friends, health professionals, and communities considered to be more conducive to the existence and transmission of the virus, among others) [15,[26][27][28]. Stigma is almost always regarded for its potentially negative characteristics of social rejection and the various consequences involved, and the same has happened with its association with COVID-19 [11,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41], which may even reinforce pre-existing stereotypes, difficulties, and negative images [33,42].…”

“…In almost all of the consulted studies that analyzed, directly or indirectly, the COVID-19 pandemic and its social consequences, stigma and the process of stigmatization were addressed in a socially negative way; i.e., the studies focused on the negative impacts of stigma on the lives of people socially categorized as stigmatized [6,17,26,27,33,46,47]. Despite the negative effects that stigma can cause in individuals, stigma can be seen as the mark of something extraordinary that, on the contrary, promotes the affirmation of the social status and symbolic power of the actors characterized as ill-healthy, in which the labelling, stereotyping, cognitive separation, and discrimination [7] tend to be significantly transformed, reinforcing the admiration, trust, and belief in the charismatic leader by supporters and followers.…”