Stigma Perceptions of Public Employees Concerning Covid-19 Disease

Abstract Aim: The Covid-19 pandemic has caused people to be exposed to negative attitudes and stigma. The aim of the study was to investigate the stigma perceptions of public employees concerning Covid-19 and to determine variables thought to be related. Materials and Methods: Study adopted descriptive design was conducted between 4/11/2021 and 1/1/2022. 351 employees in two public workplaces responded to the research. The Stigmatization of Covid-19 Questionnaire was delivered to the employees through online platform. The participation rate was 63.8%. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 Package program. Results: The majority of the participants (42.5%) fell within the age group of 36-45 years. 69.2% of them were male, and 61.8% were workers. While the mean score of self-stigma associated with Covid-19 was 50.61±9.73, stigma toward others was 78.68±13.01. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of age, gender, education, marital status, history of previous Covid, and stigma toward others. Conclusion: Self-stigma perceptions of employees were low while the toward others were high. The factors such as age, gender, education, marital status, previous experience of Covid-19 affected employees’ perceptions of stigma associated with Covid-19. The findings of the study highlight the importance of intervening early to provide psychological or social support for employees.