Hospitalization, interpersonal and personal factors of social anxiety among COVID-19 survivors at the six-month follow-up after hospital treatment: the minority stress model. Issue 1 (31st December 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ju, Niu; Yang, Xue; Ma, Xiaojun; Wang, Bingyi; Fu, Leiwen; Hu, Yuqing; Luo, Dan; Xiao, Xin; Zheng, Weiran; Xu, Hui; Fang, Yuan; Chan, Paul Shing Fong; Xu, Zhijie; Chen, Ping; He, Jiaoling; Zhu, Hongqiong; Tang, Huiwen; Huang, Dixi; Hong, Zhongsi; Xiao, Fei; Sun, Fengxia; Hao, Yanrong; Cai, Lianying; Yang, Jianrong; Ye, Shupei; Chen, Yao-Qing; Yuan, Jianhui; Wang, Zixin; Zou, Huachun
• Is Part Of: European journal of psychotraumatology. Volume 13:Issue 1(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-12-31
• Subjects: COVID-19 survivor -- hospitalization -- social anxiety -- psychosocial factors -- minority stress -- China; Sobreviviente de COVID-19 -- hospitalización -- ansiedad social -- factores psicosociales -- estrés minoritario -- China; 新冠康复者 -- 住院经历 -- 社交焦虑 -- 心理社会因素 -- 少数群体压力 -- 中国; Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Periodicals; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Periodicals; Fulltext; Internet Resources; Periodicals; 616.8521
• DOI: 10.1080/20008198.2021.2019980
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2000-8198

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Background: As a highly infectious disease with human-to-human transmission characteristics, COVID-19 has caused panic in the general public. Those who have recovered from COVID-19 may experience discrimination and internalized stigma. They may be more likely to worry about social interaction and develop social anxiety. Objectives: This study investigated the associations among hospitalization factors, social/interpersonal factors, personal factors, and social anxiety to reveal the mechanism of social anxiety in COVID-19 survivors. Methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter telephone survey was conducted from July to September 2020 in five Chinese cities (i.e. Wuhan, Nanning, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Dongguan); adult COVID-19 survivors were recruited 6 months after they were discharged from the hospital. Linear regressions and path analysis based on the minority stress model were conducted to test the relationships among hospitalization, social/interpersonal factors, personal factors, and social anxiety. Results: The response rate was 74.5% ( N = 199, 55.3% females). Linear regression analyses showed that various hospitalization, social/interpersonal, and personal factors were statistically significantly associated with social anxiety. Path analysis showed that the proposed model fit the data well (χ 2 (df) = 3.196(3), p = .362, CFI = .999, NNFI = .996, RMSEA = .018). Internalized stigma fully mediated the association between perceived discrimination/social support and social anxiety, while it partially mediated the association between perceived affiliate stigma and social anxiety. Conclusions: The results suggest that social/interpersonal and personal factors have a stronger association with social anxiety than hospitalization factors and highlight the importance of internalized stigma in understanding the mechanisms of these relationships. Clinical psychologists can refer to these modifiable psychosocial factors to develop efficient interventions for mental health promotion. HIGHLIGHTS: Internalized stigma fully mediated the effects of perceived discrimination and social support on social anxiety and partially mediated the effect of perceived affiliate stigma on social anxiety.