| Autor: |
Facente, Shelley N., De Zuzuarregui, Mariah, Frank, Darren, Gomez-Aladino, Sarah, Muñoz, Ariel, Williamson, Sabrina, Wang, Emily, Hunter, Lauren A., Packel, Laura, Reingold, Arthur |
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| Zdroj: |
Health Promotion Practice; Mar2024, Vol. 25 Issue 2, p235-243, 9p |
| Abstrakt: |
Introduction: Stigma has inhibited public health practitioners' influence during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore the experienced and anticipated stigma of people affiliated with a large university in the United States, using the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework. Methods: We conducted a qualitative secondary substudy of 20 people who tested SARS-CoV-2 positive and 10 who tested negative in the summer of 2020, selected from a study of 3,324 university students and employees. Findings: No participants reported anticipated stigmatization prior to testing positive. However, eight of 20 participants recounted stigma marking (being marked by COVID-19 diagnosis or membership in a "high-risk" group) or manifestations of stigma after testing positive, including feelings of guilt or shame, and concerns about being judged as selfish or irresponsible. Three described being denied services or social interactions as a result of having had COVID-19, long after their infectiousness ended. Participants noted that clear public health messaging must be paired with detailed scientific information, rather than leaving people to resort to non-experts to understand the science. Discussion: Public health messaging designed to mitigate spread of SARS-CoV-2 and protect the community may perpetuate stigma and exacerbate inequities. As a result, people may avoid testing or treatment, mistrust public health messaging, or even use risk-increasing behavior as coping mechanisms. Implications for Practice: Intentional use of language that promotes equity and deters discrimination must be high priority for any COVID-19-related public health messaging. Partnership with community leaders to co-create programs and disseminate messaging is a critical strategy for reducing stigma, especially for historically mistreated groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
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