Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Perceived Discrimination and Internalized Stigma in People With Previous Mental Disorder Diagnoses in Spain

• Published in: American journal of orthopsychiatry 2021, Vol.91 (3), p.407-411
• Main Authors: Saiz, Jesús, Muñoz, Manuel, Ausín, Berta, González-Sanguino, Clara, Ángel Castellanos, Miguel, Vaquero, Carlos, Ugidos, Carolina, López-Gómez, Aída
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of covariance; Cardiovascular diseases; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Diagnosis; Discrimination; Disease control; Female; Health problems; Homebound; Human; Humans; Intersectionality; Male; Medical diagnosis; Mental Disorders; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental Health; Mental health care; Quarantine; Shelter in place; Social Discrimination; Social Discrimination - psychology; Social Stigma; Spain; Stigma; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Perception; Variance analysis
• ISSN: 0002-9432; 1939-0025
• DOI: 10.1037/ort0000542

COVID-19 disease control efforts and consequences are likely to be complicated by the impact of fear and stigmatization of the novel coronavirus. These complications may also worsen due to the potential compounding of COVID-19 related stigma with stigmatization associated with previously diagnosed conditions. This exploratory study analyzes the experiences of the stigma associated with COVID-19 lockdown in people with different previous diagnoses 2 and 5 weeks after the beginning of the state of emergency in Spain. Gender and age were controlled as covariables and 1,052 people participated in the study. The diagnosis groups were: Psychiatry and mental health (n = 71), Cardiovascular disease (n = 42), Neurological disease (n = 23), Lung disease (n = 53), and No diagnosis (n = 863). The instruments used to measure the stigma were the Intersectional Day-to-Day Discrimination Index and two items of the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness scale. Analysis of covariance of repeated measures and analysis of variance, including Scheffe's post hoc test, were performed. We found significant differences in stigma among the first and second evaluation. Regarding the previous diagnosis, no differences were found at Time 1, but significant differences were found at Time 2, with those having a previous psychiatric or mental health diagnosis reporting higher levels of perceived discrimination and internalized stigmatization. Our results suggest that people with previous stigmatizing conditions might be more vulnerable to experiencing stigma in a confinement situation. In order to reduce the burden of the COVID-19 stigma, health interventions should also consider the resulting intersection of effects on internalized stigma and perceived discrimination. Public Policy Relevance Statement During COVID-19 lockdown, the experiences of stigma have been different in people with diverse previous diagnoses. People with a previous psychiatric or mental health diagnosis reported an increase in stigma experiences. It is thus important that policy-makers incorporate an intersectional perspective in their prevention and intervention efforts in reducing the stigma provoked by COVID-19 alarm.