Stigma and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study on the perceptions of healthcare workers in Canada and Singapore
IntroductionWe sought to explore healthcare providers (HCPs)' perceptions of and experiences with stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and Singapore.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study (May 2020–February 2021) with HCPs in Canada and Singapore and developed a semi-structured interv...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1490814/full |
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| author | Christine Fahim Christine Fahim Chou Chuen Yu Jeanette Cooper Suvabna Theivendrampillai Taehoon (Tom) Lee Michelle Wai-Ki Lau Christine Marquez Bernard Tang Mathews Mathew Malika Sharma Malika Sharma Eric Wong Eric Wong Tracey O'Sullivan James Alvin Low James Alvin Low Sharon E. Straus Sharon E. Straus |
| author_facet | Christine Fahim Christine Fahim Chou Chuen Yu Jeanette Cooper Suvabna Theivendrampillai Taehoon (Tom) Lee Michelle Wai-Ki Lau Christine Marquez Bernard Tang Mathews Mathew Malika Sharma Malika Sharma Eric Wong Eric Wong Tracey O'Sullivan James Alvin Low James Alvin Low Sharon E. Straus Sharon E. Straus |
| author_sort | Christine Fahim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionWe sought to explore healthcare providers (HCPs)' perceptions of and experiences with stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and Singapore.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study (May 2020–February 2021) with HCPs in Canada and Singapore and developed a semi-structured interview guide rooted in the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework (HSDF). We recruited participants online and through word of mouth via newsletters, blogs and social media. Participants were eligible to participate if they worked as a healthcare provider in Singapore or Canada during COVID-19. Following participant consent, data were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using a framework approach. Coded data were charted into a framework matrix and used to compare themes in each country.ResultsWe conducted 51 interviews (23 in Canada; 28 in Singapore). HCPs perceived that patient fears coupled with mistrust of the health system impacted health behaviors. HCPs reported discrimination and stigmatization of population subsets. In Singapore, this included Chinese tourists and migrant workers and in Canada, this included people of Chinese ethnicity and people experiencing homelessness. This stigma was often attributed to pre-existing prejudices including perceptions that these populations were at increased risk of COVID-19 or not adhering to public health recommendations. HCPs feared spreading COVID-19 to family, peers and patients, often resulting in participants choosing to isolate from social circles. HCPs in both countries experienced occupation-based stigma, including stigma related to public health practices (masking, testing); in Canada, this intersected with race-based prejudice for participants of Chinese ethnicity. HCPs in both samples witnessed and experienced stigmatizing behavior; some participants also experienced discrimination.ConclusionsSecondary stigma related to occupation was experienced by HCPs during COVID-19. HCPs experienced intersecting stigma based on race/ethnicity and observed stigmatization of marginalized patient populations. Most themes were consistent across Canada and Singapore. Strategies to mitigate COVID-19 related stigma toward HCPs and at-risk patient populations are warranted. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-45c2bdd002214dfcb0fe104b1df4c3d5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-45c2bdd002214dfcb0fe104b1df4c3d52025-01-23T15:58:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-01-011210.3389/fpubh.2024.14908141490814Stigma and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study on the perceptions of healthcare workers in Canada and SingaporeChristine Fahim0Christine Fahim1Chou Chuen Yu2Jeanette Cooper3Suvabna Theivendrampillai4Taehoon (Tom) Lee5Michelle Wai-Ki Lau6Christine Marquez7Bernard Tang8Mathews Mathew9Malika Sharma10Malika Sharma11Eric Wong12Eric Wong13Tracey O'Sullivan14James Alvin Low15James Alvin Low16Sharon E. Straus17Sharon E. Straus18St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaInstitute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaGeriatric Education and Research Institute Ltd, Singapore, SingaporeSt. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaSt. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaSt. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaSt. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaSt. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaGeriatric Education and Research Institute Ltd, Singapore, SingaporeInstitute of Policy Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeSt. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaInstitute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaSt. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaInstitute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaInterdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaGeriatric Education and Research Institute Ltd, Singapore, SingaporeDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore, SingaporeSt. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaInstitute of Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, CanadaIntroductionWe sought to explore healthcare providers (HCPs)' perceptions of and experiences with stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and Singapore.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study (May 2020–February 2021) with HCPs in Canada and Singapore and developed a semi-structured interview guide rooted in the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework (HSDF). We recruited participants online and through word of mouth via newsletters, blogs and social media. Participants were eligible to participate if they worked as a healthcare provider in Singapore or Canada during COVID-19. Following participant consent, data were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using a framework approach. Coded data were charted into a framework matrix and used to compare themes in each country.ResultsWe conducted 51 interviews (23 in Canada; 28 in Singapore). HCPs perceived that patient fears coupled with mistrust of the health system impacted health behaviors. HCPs reported discrimination and stigmatization of population subsets. In Singapore, this included Chinese tourists and migrant workers and in Canada, this included people of Chinese ethnicity and people experiencing homelessness. This stigma was often attributed to pre-existing prejudices including perceptions that these populations were at increased risk of COVID-19 or not adhering to public health recommendations. HCPs feared spreading COVID-19 to family, peers and patients, often resulting in participants choosing to isolate from social circles. HCPs in both countries experienced occupation-based stigma, including stigma related to public health practices (masking, testing); in Canada, this intersected with race-based prejudice for participants of Chinese ethnicity. HCPs in both samples witnessed and experienced stigmatizing behavior; some participants also experienced discrimination.ConclusionsSecondary stigma related to occupation was experienced by HCPs during COVID-19. HCPs experienced intersecting stigma based on race/ethnicity and observed stigmatization of marginalized patient populations. Most themes were consistent across Canada and Singapore. Strategies to mitigate COVID-19 related stigma toward HCPs and at-risk patient populations are warranted.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1490814/fullhealth personnelSARS-CoV-2social stigmaperceived discriminationracismintersectional framework |
| spellingShingle | Christine Fahim Christine Fahim Chou Chuen Yu Jeanette Cooper Suvabna Theivendrampillai Taehoon (Tom) Lee Michelle Wai-Ki Lau Christine Marquez Bernard Tang Mathews Mathew Malika Sharma Malika Sharma Eric Wong Eric Wong Tracey O'Sullivan James Alvin Low James Alvin Low Sharon E. Straus Sharon E. Straus Stigma and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study on the perceptions of healthcare workers in Canada and Singapore Frontiers in Public Health health personnel SARS-CoV-2 social stigma perceived discrimination racism intersectional framework |
| title | Stigma and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study on the perceptions of healthcare workers in Canada and Singapore |
| title_full | Stigma and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study on the perceptions of healthcare workers in Canada and Singapore |
| title_fullStr | Stigma and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study on the perceptions of healthcare workers in Canada and Singapore |
| title_full_unstemmed | Stigma and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study on the perceptions of healthcare workers in Canada and Singapore |
| title_short | Stigma and fear during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study on the perceptions of healthcare workers in Canada and Singapore |
| title_sort | stigma and fear during the covid 19 pandemic a qualitative study on the perceptions of healthcare workers in canada and singapore |
| topic | health personnel SARS-CoV-2 social stigma perceived discrimination racism intersectional framework |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1490814/full |
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