Factors Affecting Social Stigma and Health-Seeking Behavior in COVID-19 Survivors: A Field Study in the West of Turkey

Öz

This study was conducted to determine factors affecting social stigma and Health-Seeking Behavior in individuals who had remain alive COVID-19. The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 257 individuals who had remain alive COVID-19 and were selected by using the snowball sampling method. Data were collected by using a “Personal Information Form,” “The Social Stigma Questionnaire (SSQ)” and “The Health-Seeking Behavior Scale (HSBS)”. The mean and standard deviation of the total scores of the participants obtained from the SSQ questionnaire were 49.23±31.36, and the mean and standard deviation of the total scores obtained from the HSBS scale were 41.84±7.78. There was a statistically important difference between the mean SSQ and HSBS points of participants who had remain alive COVID-19 and variables, such as being female, being single, having university-level education, having a family member with a chronic disease, witnessing someone exposed to social negativity due to their disease, displaying stigmatizing attitudes towards someone infected with COVID-19, ability to determine behaviors that are harmful to health, worrying about health, and having a high risk of contracting a serious illness (p<.05). A moderate, important positive correlation was found between mean points on the SSQ and the HSBS (r=.504; p.001). In line with these results, it is recommended that individuals be informed about viruses that cause pandemics such as COVID-19 and that measures be taken to prevent stigmatization.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• COVID-19
• Social Stigma
• Health
• Behavior

COVİD-19 Geçiren Bireylerde Sosyal Damgalama ve Sağlık Arama Davranışını Etkileyen Faktörler: Türkiye’nin Batısından Kesitsel Bir Çalışma

Öz

Bu araştırma, COVID-19 geçiren bireylerde sosyal damgalanma ve sağlık arama davranışını etkileyen faktörleri belirlemek amacıyla yürütülmüştür. Bu kesitsel araştırmanın örneklemini, COVID-19 geçiren ve kartopu örnekleme yöntemi kullanılarak seçilen 257 birey oluşturmuştur. Veriler “Kişisel Bilgi Formu”, “Sosyal Damgalama Anketi-SDA” ve “Sağlık Arama Davranışı Ölçeği-SADÖ” kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Araştırmaya katılanların SDA anketinden elde edilen toplam puanlarının ortalaması ve standart sapması 49.23±31.36 ve SADÖ ölçeğinden elde edilen toplam puanlarının ortalaması ve standart sapması 41.84±7.78'dir. COVID-19 geçiren katılımcıların sosyal damgalama ve sağlık arama davranışı puan ortalamaları ile kadın olmak, bekar olmak, üniversite düzeyinde eğitime sahip olmak, kronik hastalığı olan bir aile üyesine sahip olmak, hastalığı nedeniyle birinin sosyal damgalamaya maruz kalmasına tanık olmak, COVID-19'a yakalanmış birine karşı damgalayıcı tutumlar sergilemek, sağlığa zararlı davranışları belirleyebilmek, sağlık konusunda endişelenmek ve ciddi bir hastalığa yakalanma riskinin yüksek olması gibi değişkenler arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark vardı (p<.05). Sosyal Damgalama Ölçeği ve Sağlık Arama Davranışı Ölçeğindeki ortalama puanlar arasında orta düzeyde, anlamlı bir pozitif korelasyon bulunmuştur (r=.504; p.001). Bu sonuçlar doğrultusunda bireylere COVID-19 gibi pandemiye neden olan virüsler konusunda bilgilendirme yapılması ve damgalamayı önlemeye yönelik önlemlerin alınması önerilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• COVID-19
• Sosyal Damgalama
• Sağlık
• Davranış

Destekleyen Kurum

yoktur

Etik Beyan

At the outset, the approval of the T.R. Ministry of Health (2021-01-14T20-13-28.xml) and the Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee of a state university (date: February 26, 2021-9497; issue: E-50107718-050.99-9497; Protocol No: 2021/230) and the official permission of Aydın Governorship Provincial Health Directorate (date: April 14, 2021, Number: E-44021967-605.01) were obtained.

Teşekkür

yoktur

Kaynakça

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