Fear and avoidance of healthcare workers: An important, under-recognized form of stigmatization during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Highlights Little is known about healthcare worker stigmatization (HCWS) during COVID-19. HCWS involves fear and avoidance of healthcare workers, for fear of infection. Our research indicates that HCWS is a widespread, under-recognized problem. HCWS is associated with the COVID Stress Syndrome. Interventions that reduce the COVID Stress Syndrome may reduce HCWS.

Risk of COVID-19-related bullying, harassment and stigma among healthcare workers: an analytical cross-sectional global study

“…In an online study of 3551 non-health care workers in the USA and Canada, high percentage of Canadians and Americans believed that healthcare workers should not be allowed to go out in public, should have restrictions on their freedoms, should be isolated from community and should be separated from their families. 10 Little has been done politically to recommend that healthcare workers be protected for carrying out their duties. 10 The absence of protections—and indeed that bullying often arises from authorities—creates anxiety for health workers in that they subsequently confront bullying and stigmatising situations alone.…”

“… 10 Little has been done politically to recommend that healthcare workers be protected for carrying out their duties. 10 The absence of protections—and indeed that bullying often arises from authorities—creates anxiety for health workers in that they subsequently confront bullying and stigmatising situations alone.…”

“… 9 During outbreaks of infectious diseases, frontline personnel are often stigmatised by people in their communities due to fear that they are sources of infection. 10 Studies report that while often risking their own lives in exposing themselves to infection while delivering care, healthcare workers also experience stigma such as the denial of services, housing, verbal abuse or gossip and social devaluation. Moreover, their family members face ‘secondary’ or ‘associative’ stigma.…”

Should health care institutions provide job accommodations for health care workers with serious mental health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic?

“…Perhaps surprisingly, large proportions of US and Canadian adults report wanting to avoid HCWs (47%), believing that HCWs should be isolated from their own families (31%), and believing that HCWs should not go out in public (25%). [31] The willingness to restrict the freedoms of HCWs and desire for social distance can be expected to greatly reduce the emotional support available to HCWs outside of work.…”

Exploring the Motivation Behind Discrimination and Stigmatization Related to COVID-19: A Social Psychological Discussion Based on the Main Theoretical Explanations

“…Groups such as health workers and medics have been unable, due to their professional responsibilities, to maintain the prescribed social distance from others, and have been exposed to significant levels of discrimination, even though they work under very difficult conditions for the well-being of the public at large, while facing increased personal risk. Although they have been widely praised as heroes, they have also been stigmatized, avoided, and excluded due to their being perceived as sources of infection (Taylor et al, 2020;World Health Organization, 2020d), which was also similarly observed during previous outbreaks such as SARS (Bai et al, 2004).…”