“They looked at me like I am a virus”: how survivors cope with COVID-19 stigma during the early stage of pandemic

Sulistyawati, Sulistyawati (2023) “They looked at me like I am a virus”: how survivors cope with COVID-19 stigma during the early stage of pandemic. International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS), 12 (1). ISSN 2252-8806 (Unpublished)

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Abstract

COVID-19 has shocked everyone globally, with fears of contracting the
disease and the other socio-economic impacts. The noticeable impact at the
beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was the emergence of mental health
disorders in the community, especially for patients, namely the stigma
labeled on them. This study aimed to explore the COVID-19 survivors’
experience since they were declared positive and isolated, including the
stigma they faced in the early stage of the pandemic, using a
phenomenology approach. Eight informants selected through purposive
sampling were contacted via in-depth online interviews during SeptemberDecember 2020. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed
using thematic analysis. During the investigation, this research found two
themes: encountering unpleasant impacts when contracting COVID-19 and
coping strategies related to the impact. The negative stigma affected the
informants’ psychology and economics. Most informants took a
religious/belief method to cope with the adversity, such as surrendering to
God, and some reported ignoring the stigma. After one year of the pandemic,
the stigma has dramatically reduced. However, continuous education in the
community is needed to prevent stigmatization of COVID-19 survivors since
the pandemic continues and scientific development in fighting this disease is
ongoing. This research provides lessons learned to the community and
related parties that mental health must also be a concern beyond the rapid
response to disease control in a health emergency

Item Type:	Artikel Umum
Subjects:	A General Works > AI Indexes (General)
Divisi / Prodi:	Faculty of Public Health (Fakultas Kesehatan Masyarakat) > S1-Science in Public Health (S1-Kesehatan Masyarakat)
Depositing User:	PhD Sulistyawati Sulistyawati
Date Deposited:	13 Feb 2023 07:50
Last Modified:	13 Feb 2023 07:50
URI:	http://eprints.uad.ac.id/id/eprint/39826

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