Scoping review reveals high levels of stigma in individuals with Long COVID, highlighting its detrimental association with mental health and quality of life.
Key Points
To systematically map global quantitative evidence on the prevalence, manifestations, psychometric evaluation tools, and psychosocial correlates of stigma in individuals living with Long COVID.
Conducted a systematic scoping review across PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Web of Science following PRISMA-ScR guidelines and the Arksey and O’Malley framework.
Evaluated methodological quality using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) across 8 eligible quantitative studies published between 2022 and 2026, comprising a total sample of N=2,925 participants.
Stigma prevalence ranged from 75.9% to 83.0%, with anticipated and internalized stigma emerging as the primary manifestations, affecting 64.2% to 90.8% of participants.
Higher stigma levels significantly correlated with worsened mental health, decreased quality of life, and lower overall well-being, with self-coldness and reduced self-compassion acting as mediators.
Identified increased stigma vulnerability among female participants, younger individuals, and those with a formal clinical diagnosis of Long COVID.
Cite This Study
Becerra‐García et al. (2026) studied this question.