Socio-professional stigmatization among healthcare workers with COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic had deeply altered the social and professional lives of people with SARS-COV2. The anxiety of being contaminated by the virus during the first waves had created avoidance behaviors and established a climate of rejection towards healthcare workers (HW) with COVID. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess stigmatization among healthcare workers with COVID-19 Methods This is a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out on HWs in a university hospital in Tunis who were affected by COVID-19 and who consulted the occupational medicine department. The study was conducted between March 2021 and June 2021. Data collection was based on pre-established forms. The questionnaire assessing stigmatization was inspired by the questionnaire assessing stigma in AIDS patients Results The study included 100 health personnel. The sex ratio (M/W) = 0.29. The average age was 39.22 ± 9.3 with extremes ranging from 24 to 58 years. The average professional seniority was 11.39±9.4. Nurses were the most represented professional category (26%). The psychiatric history was: Depressive disorder (14%) and anxiety disorder (10%). Eighty HW were infected with SARS-COV2 for the first time. Contamination was intra-hospital in 50% of cases. Eighteen HW had been rejected. Verbal abuse towards HW with COVID was noted in 8% and physical abuse in 11%. Twenty-six HW had lost their friends and 36 of them no longer had as much social activity as before. In the workplace, rejection was noted in 21% cases, 10 health personnel reported a discriminatory orientation for the care of patients with COVID and 19 HW felt useless at work. Conclusions Socio-professional stigmatization should help us to understand the vulnerability and psychological impact of this health crisis on health workers. Control and prevention strategies need to be established. Disclosure of Interest None Declared