Relationship between COVID-19 stigma and anxiety symptoms in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic after isolation removal increased stigmatizing attitudes and anxiety, but there is a lack of studies analyzing the relationship between stigmatizing attitudes and anxiety symptoms after isolation lifting. This study aimed to explore the complex relationship between the SARS-CoV-2 stigma and anxiety symptoms in patients with SARS-CoV-2 and healthy populations.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in which 1,730 university students reported COVID-19 stigmatizing attitudes and anxiety symptoms. These included university students who were either infected or uninfected individuals. We estimated the complex relationship between stigmatizing attitudes and anxiety symptoms using network analysis methods.

Results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, stigmatizing attitudes and anxiety observed in the infected group were 32.86% and 28.28%, respectively, and in the uninfected group were 34.64% and 22.79%, respectively. Network analysis showed that A2 (Uncontrollable worry) had the strongest expected influence centrality and S1 (Stereotype) had the strongest bridge expected influence centrality; network comparative analysis of the infected and uninfected groups revealed a significant difference in the expected influence centrality for S1; and directed acyclic graph analysis showed that node A2 had the highest priority.

Conclusion: We recommend developing appropriate strategies for safeguards, such as the dissemination of relevant knowledge to at-risk populations, to cope with stigmatizing attitudes and anxiety symptoms among university students.