Social Exclusion and Stigma in Patients with COVID-19

Background: Stigma in many contexts is defined as a process of differentiation, othering, and discrimination. Its external manifestations include outward, negative attitudes, and bad behavior targeted for those with a specific condition. SARS-CoV-2 infection have been seen as a dangerous clinical condition towards people. The aim of the study was to describe the risk factors for suffering social exclusion and stigma in a group of people with COVID-19. Methods: We included 95 people into a descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational study. They were invited to participate voluntarily to answer an online survey, to determine and describe the effects produced by COVID-19 in social exclusion, stigma, demoralization, and self-care. Results: The participants, mostly women (61.1%), showed high education (72.6%) and did not require hospitalization (90.5%). 18.9% of the participants reported social exclusion, of these 86.7% were women, they only had a dose of COVID-19 vaccine (60%), poor sleep quality (46.3%) and suffered stigma (12.6%) from relatives and/or co-workers. Being female, not having the complete vaccination schedule and presenting stigma during COVID-19 were risk factors for social exclusion. Conclusion: Significant negative psychosocial consequences are observed in people who, in addition to suffering from COVID-19, suffer from social exclusion.