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Stigma, Perceived Discrimination, and Mental Health during China’s COVID-19 Outbreak : A Mixed-Methods Investigation Fan, Wen; Qian, Yue; Jin, Yongai

Abstract

Research on stigma and discrimination during COVID-19 has focused on racism and xenophobia in Western countries. In comparison, little research has considered stigma processes, discrimination, and their public health implications in non-Western contexts. This study draws on quantitative survey data (N = 7,942) and qualitative interview data (N = 50) to understand the emergence, experiences, and mental health implications of stigma and discrimination during China’s COVID-19 outbreak. Given China’s history of regionalism, we theorize and use a survey experiment to empirically assess region-based stigma: People who lived in Hubei (the hardest hit province) during the outbreak and those who were socially associated with Hubei were stigmatized. Furthermore, the COVID-19 outbreak created stigma around people labeled as patients by the state. These stigmatized groups reported greater perceived discrimination, which—as a stressor—led to psychological distress. Our interview data illuminated how the stigmatized groups perceived, experienced, and coped with discrimination and stigma.

Item Metadata

Title
Stigma, Perceived Discrimination, and Mental Health during China’s COVID-19 Outbreak : A Mixed-Methods Investigation
Creator
Fan, Wen; Qian, Yue; Jin, Yongai
Date Issued
2021
Description
Research on stigma and discrimination during COVID-19 has focused on racism and xenophobia in Western countries. In comparison, little research has considered stigma processes, discrimination, and their public health implications in non-Western contexts. This study draws on quantitative survey data (N = 7,942) and qualitative interview data (N = 50) to understand the emergence, experiences, and mental health implications of stigma and discrimination during China’s COVID-19 outbreak. Given China’s history of regionalism, we theorize and use a survey experiment to empirically assess region-based stigma: People who lived in Hubei (the hardest hit province) during the outbreak and those who were socially associated with Hubei were stigmatized. Furthermore, the COVID-19 outbreak created stigma around people labeled as patients by the state. These stigmatized groups reported greater perceived discrimination, which—as a stressor—led to psychological distress. Our interview data illuminated how the stigmatized groups perceived, experienced, and coped with discrimination and stigma.
Subject
China; COVID-19; Discrimination; Mental health; Stigma
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2023-01-27
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International
DOI
10.14288/1.0423617
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/83759
Affiliation
Arts, Faculty of; Non UBC; Sociology, Department of
Citation
Fan, W., Qian, Y., & Jin, Y. (2021). Stigma, Perceived Discrimination, and Mental Health during China’s COVID-19 Outbreak: A Mixed-Methods Investigation. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 62(4), 562–581.
Publisher DOI
10.1177/00221465211040550
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Attribution 4.0 International