A University of Alberta research study reports that long COVID patients who face persistent stigma also experience worsening symptoms, depression, poor quality of life and an increased risk of not being able to rejoin the workforce.
In findings published in a Lancet medical journal, the team followed up with 99 patients who had participated in a 2023 study. Patients who reported higher levels of stigma such as blame, disbelief or social isolation at the outset of their diagnosis had worse health outcomes more than a year later.
Long COVID (post COVID-19 condition) — when symptoms develop or continue three months or more after an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection — affected more than 1.4 million Canadians by August 2022, according to a Government of Canada report.
The researchers conclude that early screening for stigma could help identify high-risk individuals who need more intensive support and treatment.
“Health-related stigma appears to persist over time and can have a very negative impact on the well-being and economic productivity of both individuals and populations,” says first author Ron Damant, professor of medicine.
“Interventions to reduce one-to-one and institutional stigma could have far-reaching benefits.”