Stigma and Health, Vol 9(4), Nov 2024, 450-460; doi:10.1037/sah0000521
Limited attention has been paid to understanding how shifts in COVID-19 stigma are associated with sociohistorical changes, and how these dynamics impact perceived and enacted stigma among those affected by COVID-19. From drivers of fear and scapegoating at the beginning of the pandemic to subsequent health and social impacts on prevention efforts, this study examines how COVID-19 stigma emerged and evolved across the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto, Canada. Data are derived from 26 cross-sectional, in-depth, semistructured interviews conducted from August to October 2021 as part of a qualitative evaluation of the COVID-19 Ring-Based Prevention Trial With Lopinavir/Ritonavir (CORIPREV-LR) study. Interviews were conducted virtually, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using an immersion crystallization approach and Dedoose software. Narratives from CORIPREV-LR study participants underscore three central themes detailing temporal dimensions of COVID-19 stigma: (a) dramatic social change: markers of infection-related stigma during early COVID-19; (b) incremental social change: playing “political football” with COVID-19 policy responses; and (c) inertia: vaccine ideologies driving COVID-19 compliance-related stigma. Participants described differing COVID-19 stigma trajectories, shifting from the initial shock of the pandemic, through multilevel changes in guidelines, to subsequent inertia amid vaccine rollout. Despite participants reporting a decrease in COVID-19 infection-related stigma since the onset of the pandemic, COVID-19 compliance-related stigma was shown to increase as the pandemic advanced. Experiences of COVID-19 stigma were also described as being shaped by race, class, migration status, and occupation, highlighting the complex interplay between temporal events and intersectional stigma processes during the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)