COVID‐19‐related stigma and its impact on psychological distress: A cross‐sectional study in Wuhan, China

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Health‐related stigma arises from the perceived association between a person or group of certain characteristics and a specific disease. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has brought about stigma targeted at individuals and groups who are perceived to be connected with the virus. Wuhan of China was not only the locale where the first COVID‐19 cases were detected in the world but was also the hardest hit across China. METHODS: Using new data (N = 1153) from a survey conducted in Wuhan in August 2020, this cross‐sectional study aims to reveal the stigma experienced by residents in Wuhan during the COVID‐19 pandemic and the impact of this experienced stigma on psychological distress, specifically posttraumatic stress disorder. RESULTS: 69.47% (95% confidence interval (CI): 66.81%─72.13%) of the surveyed Wuhan residents have experienced some forms of stigma related to COVID‐19. The average posttraumatic stress disorder score based on the impact of event scale–revised is 20.28 (95% CI: 19.096─21.468) out of 88. In particular, 27.75% (95% CI: 25.17%─30.34%) of the respondents display clinically significant distress symptoms. Moreover, this stigma not only aggravates individuals' posttraumatic stress disorder score by 10.652 (95% CI: 8.163─13.141) but also elevates the chance of developing clinically significant distress symptoms. Specifically, the probability of clinical distress is significantly higher (p < 0.001) among those who have experienced stigma (33.66%) than those who have no such experiences (12.62%). CONCLUSION: The public should be aware of the distress‐inducing impact of stigma related to COVID‐19 and prevent it from causing more harm to certain individuals and groups.