The development and validation of a novel COVID19 stigma scale among healthcare workers (COVISS-HCWs)

BMC Health Services Research

Research

Douaa Mohammad Nazir Arrouk¹  Marah Marrawi²  Abdullah Alhouri³  Rand T. Akasheh⁴  Christine E. S. Jovanovic⁵  Youssef Latifeh⁶  Heba Al-tarcheh⁷  Malik E. Juweid⁸  Ahmad Nabil Alhouri⁹  Hasan Nabil Al Houri^1,10 

[1] Applied Statistics – Quantitative Methods, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria;Department of Mathematical Statistics, Faculty of Science, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic;Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, UK;Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, American University of Madaba, 11821, Madaba, Jordan;Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, 60611, Chicago, IL, USA;Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Damascus University, Syrian Private University, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic;Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Al Assad University Hospital, Damascus University, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic;Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Jordan Hospital, Amman, Jordan;Faculty of Medicine, Syrian Private University, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic;Internal Medicine Department, Al Assad University Hospital, Al Mouwasat University Hospital, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria;

关键词: COVID-19;    Stigma;    Healthcare Workers;    Validation;    Novel;    Scale;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12913-022-08911-5

 received in 2022-06-11, accepted in 2022-11-30,  发布年份 2022

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Background and aimFear of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its complications may result in stigmatization of individuals who may carry the virus. This is of special concern to healthcare workers who tolerate additional physical and emotional stress at times of pandemic. The aims of this study are to (1) develop and validate the COVID-19 Stigma Scale (COVISS-HCWs) survey; and (2) investigate the experience of stigma among healthcare workers possibly dealing with COVID-19 patients in five major public hospitals in Damascus, Syria.MethodsWe divided the sample into two parts and then underwent EFA on the first 350 participants, dividing the 14 questions into two dimensions. Furthermore, CFA was conducted on the other 350 participants to confirm how correctly a hypothesized model matched the factor structure by EFA, as described above. Moreover, the coefficient of determination (R2) and item–scale correlations (standardized factor loading) were estimated to establish the acceptability of the final structure of the COVISS-HCWs. Through a cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 700 healthcare workers participated in a self-administered questionnaire containing a section for demographic variables and another for newly designed COVISS-HCWs. The scale comprises 14 adapted and novel items that measure two subscales: feelings of perceived harm and inferiority, and avoidance. Descriptive statistics, reliability, and validity were evaluated.ResultsThe 14 COVISS-HCWs items were reduced to 11 items with a high Cronbach’s α of 0.909. A significant correlation was observed between the responses to each COVISS-HCWs item and the corresponding subscale, and between each subscale and the overall scale. Feeling stigmatized was reported by 9.86% of the participants. Younger age, low socioeconomic status, and higher intensity of contact with COVID-19 patients significantly correlated with higher stigmatization.ConclusionsThe novel COVISS-HCWs is a reliable and valid tool to evaluate stigma among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Stigma prevalence among healthcare workers was 9.86%. Therefore, this must be addressed to prevent possible psychosocial and public health repercussions.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2022