Prevalence of acute post-traumatic stress symptoms and perceived stigma among COVID-19 patients in Jordan

Objectives: To assess the likelihood of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in patients with COVID-19 and to evaluate the social stigma associated with contracting the disease. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in Prince Hamza Hospital, Jordan. Ninety-nine hospitalized COVID-19 patients filled a self-administered questionnaire encompassing demographic data, the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R), stigma and the effects of COVID-19 on the patient’s life post-recovery.  Descriptive and multivariate analysis was done using SPSS 24. Results:  The participants were 52% males, 48% females and nearly 61% of them were aged 20-50 years. The results showed that 45.5% of them had a high clinical concern for PTSD, 31.3% had a likely diagnosis of PTSD, and 28.3% had very severe acute stress symptoms.  Regarding social stigma, 64% of participants expected that people would treat them differently to varying degrees.