Background: Globally, COVID-19 has caused panic, fear, depression, and anxiety, especially in the absence of knowledge regarding the causes and complications of the disease, along with its high rates of morbidity and mortality. This bundle of negative emotions may trigger acts of prejudice, discrimination, negative social behaviors, and stigmatization. Aim: To examine general mental health and its impact on the social stigma associated with COVID-19 among general population in Egypt. Methodology: The study was conducted using an online cross-sectional survey. A ‘snowball’ sampling was used to recruit 501 participants. This study utilized three tools, including Socio-demographic Data Sheet, General Health Questionnaire, and COVID-19 related Social Stigma Scale. Results: The study confirms a highly statistically significant direct relationship between mental health problems and social stigma: specifically, mental health significantly impacted social stigma toward COVID-19. Besides, there is a highly statistically significant inverse relationship between social stigma and educational level. However, unlike other research studies, this study shows that social stigma associated with the COVID-19 health crisis seems entirely uncommon in Egypt. Conclusion: Overall, the study subjects reported having no mental health problems during COVID-19 and have no stigma towards COVID-19. Except for the timing of data collection, these unexpected findings might be explained by the fact that most of the studied sample (59.1%) reported having a close family member infected by COVID-19. Keywords: COVID-19, Mental health, Social stigma, General population.

Do Pandemics Still Cause Mental Health Problems and Social Stigma? The case of COVID-19 in Egypt / EL RAKHAWY, MOUSTAPHA Y.; Sabry, NOHA A.; Elkhoreiby, INAS A.; ABDEL TAWAB, ALSHYMAA M.; Mineo, Roberta; Hofstede, Ad; Rakhawy, MONA Y.. - In: PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES. - ISSN 1996-7195. - Vol.15:No.2(2021), pp. 904-909.

Do Pandemics Still Cause Mental Health Problems and Social Stigma? The case of COVID-19 in Egypt

ROBERTA MINEO;
2021

Abstract

Background: Globally, COVID-19 has caused panic, fear, depression, and anxiety, especially in the absence of knowledge regarding the causes and complications of the disease, along with its high rates of morbidity and mortality. This bundle of negative emotions may trigger acts of prejudice, discrimination, negative social behaviors, and stigmatization. Aim: To examine general mental health and its impact on the social stigma associated with COVID-19 among general population in Egypt. Methodology: The study was conducted using an online cross-sectional survey. A ‘snowball’ sampling was used to recruit 501 participants. This study utilized three tools, including Socio-demographic Data Sheet, General Health Questionnaire, and COVID-19 related Social Stigma Scale. Results: The study confirms a highly statistically significant direct relationship between mental health problems and social stigma: specifically, mental health significantly impacted social stigma toward COVID-19. Besides, there is a highly statistically significant inverse relationship between social stigma and educational level. However, unlike other research studies, this study shows that social stigma associated with the COVID-19 health crisis seems entirely uncommon in Egypt. Conclusion: Overall, the study subjects reported having no mental health problems during COVID-19 and have no stigma towards COVID-19. Except for the timing of data collection, these unexpected findings might be explained by the fact that most of the studied sample (59.1%) reported having a close family member infected by COVID-19. Keywords: COVID-19, Mental health, Social stigma, General population.
2021
feb-2021
Vol.15
No.2
904
909
Do Pandemics Still Cause Mental Health Problems and Social Stigma? The case of COVID-19 in Egypt / EL RAKHAWY, MOUSTAPHA Y.; Sabry, NOHA A.; Elkhoreiby, INAS A.; ABDEL TAWAB, ALSHYMAA M.; Mineo, Roberta; Hofstede, Ad; Rakhawy, MONA Y.. - In: PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL & HEALTH SCIENCES. - ISSN 1996-7195. - Vol.15:No.2(2021), pp. 904-909.
EL RAKHAWY, MOUSTAPHA Y.; Sabry, NOHA A.; Elkhoreiby, INAS A.; ABDEL TAWAB, ALSHYMAA M.; Mineo, Roberta; Hofstede, Ad; Rakhawy, MONA Y.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11380/1251575
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