» Veröffentlicht am
20. März 2023
New Paper on Stigmatization in the Context of COVID-19 by Sebastian Sattler Published in BMC Public Health
Sattler, S.,
Maskileyson, D., Racine, E., Davidov, E., Escande, A. (2023).
Stigmatization in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey
Experiment Using Attribution Theory and the Familiarity Hypothesis. BMC Public Health 23: 521. ►LINK
Abstract
Background
The COVID-19
pandemic has created a global health crisis, leading to stigmatization and
discriminatory behaviors against people who have contracted or are suspected of
having contracted the virus. Yet the causes of stigmatization in the context of
COVID-19 remain only partially understood. Using attribution theory, we examine
to what extent attributes of a fictitious person affect the formation of
stigmatizing attitudes towards this person, and whether suspected COVID-19
infection (vs. flu) intensifies such attitudes. We also use the familiarity
hypothesis to explore whether familiarity with COVID-19 reduces stigma and
whether it moderates the effect of a COVID-19 infection on stigmatization.
Methods
We conducted a
multifactorial vignette survey experiment (28-design, i.e., NVignettes = 256)
in Germany (NRespondents = 4,059) in which we experimentally
varied signals and signaling events (i.e., information that may trigger stigma)
concerning a fictitious person in the context of COVID-19. We assessed
respondents’ cognitive (e.g., blameworthiness) and affective (e.g., anger)
responses as well as their discriminatory inclinations (e.g., avoidance) towards
the character. Furthermore, we measured different indicators of respondents’
familiarity with COVID-19.
Results
Results revealed
higher levels of stigma towards people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 versus
a regular flu. In addition, stigma was higher towards those who were considered
responsible for their infection due to irresponsible behavior. Knowing someone
who died from a COVID infection increased stigma. While higher self-reported
knowledge about COVID-19 was associated with more stigma, higher factual
knowledge was associated with less.
Conclusion
Attribution theory and to a
lesser extent the familiarity hypothesis can help better understand stigma in
the context of COVID-19. This study provides insights about who is at risk of
stigmatization and stigmatizing others in this context. It thereby allows
identifying the groups that require more support in accessing healthcare
services and suggests that basic, factually oriented public health
interventions would be promising for reducing stigma.
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(Foto: Universität Bielefeld)