KMID : 1044520230860030216
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Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2023 Volume.86 No. 3 p.216 ~ p.225
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Tuberculosis and COVID-19 Related Stigma: Portuguese Patients Experiences
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Ana Alfaiate
Rita Rodrigues Ana Aguiar Raquel Duarte
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Abstract
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Background: Tuberculosis (TB)-related stigma has been well-documented. Since theemergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), different organizations havebeen alerted to the fact that stigma could arise again. Due to stigma¡¯s negative effects,this qualitative study aimed to explore the stigma felt by patients by evaluating the following:COVID-19 stigma and its temporal progression through the pandemic; stigmaperceived by different patients with TB before and during COVID-19 pandemic; and differenceperceived by individuals who contracted both diseases.
Methods: A semi-structured interview was developed according to the available literatureon the theme. It was performed individually in 2022 upon receiving signedinformed consent. Participants were recruited with a purposive sampling approach bysearching medical records. Those who currently or previously had pulmonary TB and/or COVID-19 were included. Data were subjected to thematic analysis.
Results: Nine patients were interviewed, including six (66.7%) females. The median ageof patients was 51¡¾14.7 years. Four participants (44.4%) had completed high schooland four (44.4%) were never smokers. Three had both TB and COVID-19. Four only hadTB and two only had COVID-19. Interviews identified eight main themes: knowledgeand beliefs, with several misconceptions identified; attitudes towards the disease, varyingfrom social support to exclusion; knowledge and education, assumed as of extremeimportance; internalized stigma, with self-rejection; experienced stigma, with discriminationepisodes; anticipated stigma, modifying actions for avoiding stigma; perceivedstigma, with judgment by others prevailed; and temporal evolution of stigma.
Conclusion: Individuals expressed strong stigma for both diseases. De-stigmatizationof respiratory infectious diseases is crucial for limiting stigma¡¯s negative impact.
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KEYWORD
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Tuberculosis, Tuberculosis, Pulmonary, COVID-19, Adult, Outpatients, Social Stigma, Stereotyping, Judgment, Qualitative Research, Portugal
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