Social Stigma Associated with COVID-19
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60027/iarj.2026.e296490Keywords:
COVID-19, Social Stigma, Health CommunicationAbstract
Background and Aims: COVID-19, an emerging infectious disease first identified in December 2019 in the People’s Republic of China, has disrupted not only health systems but also various social dimensions worldwide. To examine the forms and lived experiences of social stigma among individuals who are infected with COVID-19 in Thailand.
Methodology: A qualitative research design was employed to explore the first-hand experiences of social stigma among individuals who had previously been infected with COVID-19 in Thailand. Snowball sampling was used to recruit participants, and data were collected through semi-structured interviews.
Results: Experiences of stigma among former COVID-19 patients in Thailand can be categorized into three forms: (1) Perceived stigma, reflected through anxious tones or accusatory questioning from others; (2) Stigma by association, particularly when the disease was linked to family members or when harmful rumors circulated; and (3) Discrimination, including avoidance or refusal to engage in close contact even after recovery.
Conclusion: Key actions include fostering understanding, providing accurate information through credible sources, and using communication channels suited to each audience, particularly social media and mainstream media. Cross-sector collaboration is crucial to lessen negative attitudes and sustainably reduce stigma toward individuals who have previously been infected with COVID-19.
References
งานโรคติดต่ออุบัติใหม่. (2564). สถานการณ์โรคติดเชื้อไวรัสโคโรนา 2019 (COVID-19). https://ddc.moph.go.th/uploads/files/2017420210820025238.pdf
ยง ภู่วรวรรณ. (2564). การกลายพันธุ์ของโรคโควิด-19. https://kcmh.chulalongkornhospital.go.th/line/การกลายพันธุ์ของโรคโคว/
สิทธิพล วิบูลย์ธนากุล. (2564). คนฆ่าตัวตายในสถานการณ์โควิด วิกฤติซ้อนวิกฤติ. https://www.bangkokbiznews.com/business/951330
สิโรดม มณีแฮด, & สรัญญา เชื้อทอง. (2563). การสื่อสารสุขภาพของกรมควบคุมโรคโดยใช้การเล่าเรื่องด้วยสื่ออินโฟกราฟิกในสถานการณ์โควิด-19. วารสารการสื่อสารมวลชน, 8(2), 91–119.
องค์การอนามัยโลก. (2566). รายงานความคืบหน้าประจําสัปดาห์ในประเทศไทย โดยองค์การอนามัยโลก ฉบับที่ 258. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/searo/thailand/2023_03_01_tha-sitrep-258-covid-19_th.pdf?sfvrsn=6d20fb19_1
Adiukwu, F., Bytyçi, D. G., Hayek, S. E., Gonzalez-Diaz, J. M., Larnaout, A., Grandinetti, P., Nofal, M., Pereira-Sanchez, V., Ransing, R., Shalbafan, M., Soler-Vidal, J., Syarif, Z., Teixeira, A. L. S., da Costa, M. P., Ramalho, R., & Orsolini, L. (2020). Global perspective and ways to combat stigma associated with COVID-19. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 42(6), 569–574. https://doi.org/10.1177/0253717620964932
Chang, A., Schulz, P. J., Tu, C., & Liu, J. (2020). Computational approach of stigmatizing cues and negative sentiment in online communication of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(11), e21504. https://doi.org/10.2196/21504
Chew, C.-C., Lim, X.-J., Chang, C.-T., Rajan, P., Nasir, N., & Low, W.-Y. (2021). Experiences of social stigma among patients tested positive for COVID-19 and their family members: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health, 21(1), Article 1623.
Enquistock. (2021). As Thailand’s 3rd COVID wave hits the wealthy, spare a thought for the economy. Thai Enquirer. https://www.thaienquirer.com/26364/as-thailands-3rd-covid-wave-hits-the-wealthy-spare-a-thought-for-the-economy/
Haddad, C., Bou Malhab, S., Malaeb, D., Sacre, H., Saadeh, D., Mourtada, V., et al. (2021). Stigma toward people with COVID-19 among the Lebanese population: A cross-sectional study of correlates and mediating effects. BMC Psychology, 9(1), Article 164.
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Assuring the Health of the Public in the 21st Century. (2002). The future of the public’s health in the 21st century. National Academies Press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK221224/
Liu, J., Yang, X., Lu, Y., & Zheng, X. (2022). The joint effects of social norm appeals and fear appeals in COVID-19 vaccine campaign posters on self-perceived communication quality and vaccination intention. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 760146. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.760146
Lohiniva, A.-L., Dub, T., Hagberg, L., & Nohynek, H. (2021). Learning about COVID-19-related stigma, quarantine, and isolation experiences in Finland. PLoS ONE, 16(4), e0247962.
López-Ibor, J. J. (2002). The power of stigma. World Psychiatry, 1(1), 23–24.
Master's in Communications. (2017). What is health communication? https://www.mastersincommunications.com/faqs/what-is-health-communication
Nattadhanai, R., Titiporn, T., Rapeepong, S., & Viroj, T. (2021). Responding to the COVID-19 second wave in Thailand by diversifying and adapting lessons from the first wave. BMJ Global Health, 6(7), e006178.
Nittayasoot, N., Suphanchaimat, R., Thammawijaya, P., Jiraphongsa, C., Siraprapasiri, T., Ploddi, K., et al. (2022). Real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against severe outcomes during the period of Omicron predominance in Thailand: A test-negative nationwide case–control study. Vaccines, 10(12), Article 2123.
Rhodes, D., Antoine, E., & Abidin, A. (2025). Cultural understandings of inclusion in Southeast Asia. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 71(6), 796–806. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2025.2521676
Skarpa, P. E., & Garoufallou, E. (2021). Information-seeking behavior and COVID-19 pandemic: A snapshot of young, middle-aged, and senior individuals in Greece. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 150, 104465.
Stangl, A. L., Earnshaw, V. A., Logie, C. H., van Brakel, W., Simbayi, L. C., Barré, I., et al. (2019). The health stigma and discrimination framework: A global, crosscutting framework to inform research, intervention development, and policy on health-related stigmas. BMC Medicine, 17(1), Article 31.
Stolow, J. A., Moses, L. M., Lederer, A. M., & Carter, R. (2020). How fear appeal approaches in COVID-19 health communication may be harming the global community. Health Education & Behavior, 47(4), 531–535.
The Active. (2564). Why is the fourth wave of COVID-19 more worrying than ever before? https://matteoconverter.com/conversions/era/anno-domini-to-buddhist-calendar/2021
Uansri, S., Tuangratananon, T., Phaiyarom, M., Rajatanavin, N., Suphanchaimat, R., & Jaruwanno, W. (2021). Predicted impact of the lockdown measure in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Greater Bangkok, Thailand, 2021. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(23), Article 12816.
Vaezi, A., & Javanmard, S. (2020). Infodemic and risk communication in the era of CoV-19. Advanced Biomedical Research, 9(1), Article 10.
Wiwatana Tanomkiat. (2021). The third COVID-19 wave in Thailand. The ASEAN Journal of Radiology, 22(1), 3–4.
World Health Organization Dashboard. (2022). WHO coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard. https://covid19.who.int/
World Health Organization News. (2022, July 20). WHO releases global COVID-19 vaccination strategy update to reach unprotected populations [News release]. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/releases/20220720-who-releases-global-covid-19-vaccination-strategy-update-to-reach-unprotected-populations
World Health Organization Thailand. (2563). โรคโควิด 19. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/searo/thailand/update-28-covid-19-what-we-know---june2020---thai.pdf
World Health Organization. (2022). WHO coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard. Retrieved December 22, 2025, from https://covid19.who.int/
World Health Organization. (2022, March 2). COVID-19 pandemic triggers 25% increase in prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Interdisciplinary Academic and Research Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright on any article in the Interdisciplinary Academic and Research Journal is retained by the author(s) under the under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Permission to use text, content, images, etc. of publication. Any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose. But do not use it for commercial use or with the intent to benefit any business.
.png)
