Fear of COVID‐19 and stigmatization towards infected people among Jordanian people

Abstract

Aim This study aims to explore the prevalence rates of stigma and fear among people in Jordan during COVID‐19 pandemic and to assess socio‐demographic and personal factors contributing to the prevalence rates of fear and stigma among people in Jordan during COVID‐19 pandemic. Method Cross‐sectional descriptive design was utilized to attain the study aim. An anonymous online survey targeting people of Jordan was used and distributed to adults in Arabic language. The survey included a previously validated fear scale. Stigma was measured using developed instrument by authors. Results The prevalence of fear among study participants was 52%. In addition, the prevalence of stigma towards infected people and their contact was 64%. The predictors of stigma towards infected people with COVID‐19 and their contact were income, living area and downloaded application to trace COVID‐19 cases. Moreover the predictors of fear were income living area and downloaded application to trace COVID‐19 cases ( P ≤ .001). Conclusion More than 50% of the respondents were afraid from COVID‐19 and 64% had stigma towards infected people and their contact during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The present study highlights the need for an intervention that provides psychological support to citizens during the pandemic.

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

“…The results revealed that respondents were subjected to stigma and discrimination. This was consistent with previous studies which showed that the prevalence of stigma among COVID-19 survivors was high (Abuhammad et al, 2020;Singh & Subedi, 2020). The ndings corroborate with report of stigma that emerged during other pandemic (Denis-Ramirez et al, 2017).…”

“…According to (Singh & Subedi, 2020) stigmatizing of COVID-19 pandemic survivors is a global concern. However, stigma among the survivors is an indication that many people lack a clear understanding of the virus and how it is transmitted (Abuhammad et al, 2020).…”

“…Despite the instances and a history of stigma prevalence in settings of emerging infectious diseases (Abuhammad, 2020;Nyakarahuka et al, 2017), there is scarcity of empirical evidence on COVID-19-related stigma among survivors. According to Abuhammad et al, (2020) there is urgent need to conduct studies on COVID-19-related stigma in different countries. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the prevalence of stigma experiences of COVID-19 survivors in Kampala, Uganda.…”

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Fear of COVID-19

“…A total of 44 articles with a sample size of 52,462 were included in the final analysis. As shown in Table 1, among the 44 articles, 33 reported the total score of fear of COVID-19, 8 reported this score by gender, and 17 reported the mean scores by item (Abuhammad et al, 2020;Alyami et al, 2020;Bitan et al, 2020;Cavalheiro and Sticca, 2020;Caycho-Rodríguez et al, 2020;Elemo et al, 2020;Giordani et al, 2020;Huarcaya-Victoria et al, 2020;Martínez-Lorca et al, 2020;Masuyama et al, 2020;Pang et al, 2020;Sakib et al, 2020;Satici et al, 2020a;Soraci et al, 2020;Winter et al, 2020;Zolotov et al, 2020). There were two groups of participants in the Winter et al study; therefore, results were reported separately for each group.…”

“…These measures led to widespread fear so that in some countries people started to stockpile staple foods, toilet paper, and even guns (Bakioglu et al, 2020;Skoda et al, 2020). As the prevalence of COVID-19 increased, people started to isolate themselves, limit their social interactions, and avoid others for fear of getting the virus (Abuhammad et al, 2020). Fear is an adaptive response to one's environment and a defense mechanism to increase the chance of one's survival; however, it can be maladaptive when it is not proportionate to the actual threat (Steimer, 2002).…”