ArticlePloS one2022
Long Covid stigma: Estimating burden and validating scale in a UK-based sample.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 86 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors influencing work ability and return-to-work in individuals affected by post-COVID: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- Patient-reported outcome measures for post-COVID-19 condition: a systematic review of instruments and measurement properties.BMJ open · 2024Pooled it
- Systematic Review of Scales for Measuring Infectious Disease-Related Stigma.Emerging infectious diseases · 2024Pooled it
- Structured, expert-informed selection and harmonization of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in a German multicenter network: the post-COVID syndrome use case.Health and quality of life outcomes · 2026Article
- [The importance of psychiatry in the care and research of Post-COVID].Der Nervenarzt · 2026Review
- Reshaping long COVID care through patient-reported needs.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Observational
- What is the Role of "the Psyche"? Long COVID and ME/CFS as Test Cases for Evidence-Based and Patient-Centered Psychiatry and Psychotherapy.Psychiatrische Praxis · 2026Review
- A short version of the post-COVID-19 condition stigma questionnaire.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Prolonged Grief Disorder, but Not Death From COVID-19, Elicits Public Stigma: A Vignette-Based Experiment.Omega · 2026Article
- Barriers to Long COVID Care in the U.S.: An Application of Levesque et al.'s Access Framework.Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy · 2026Article
- Vital yet Fragile: Informal Networks of Support Among Young People Navigating Long Covid.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Considerations for epidemiological studies investigating emerging post-acute infection syndromes: Long Covid as a case study.EClinicalMedicine · 2026Review
- Co-Creating Publicly Available Resources to Increase Awareness of and Support for Long Covid Among Ethnic Minority Communities.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Symptom Patterns, Recovery, and Impact of Long COVID: Findings From a Longitudinal Survey.Open forum infectious diseases · 2026Article
- An Overview of Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Excess primary healthcare consultations in Norway in 2024 compared to pre-COVID-19-pandemic baseline trends.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2026Article
- The Stigma of self-report in health research: Time to reconsider what counts as "Objective".PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Long COVID symptoms and loneliness: findings from the World Trade Center Health Registry.BMC public health · 2025Article
- COVID-19-associated neurological and psychological manifestations.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2025Review
- Long COVID and psychosocial factors among middle-aged and older adults. Results of the nationally representative German Ageing Survey.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundStigma can be experienced as perceived or actual disqualification from social and institutional acceptance on the basis of one or more physical, behavioural or other attributes deemed to be undesirable. Long Covid is a predominantly multisystem condition that occurs in people with a history of SARSCoV2 infection, often resulting in functional disability. This study aimed to develop and validate a Long Covid Stigma Scale (LCSS); and to quantify the burden of Long Covid stigma.
methodsData from the follow-up of a co-produced community-based Long Covid online survey using convenience non-probability sampling was used. Thirteen questions on stigma were designed to develop the LCSS capturing three domains-enacted (overt experiences of discrimination), internalised (internalising negative associations with Long Covid and accepting them as self-applicable) and anticipated (expectation of bias/poor treatment by others) stigma. Confirmatory factor analysis tested whether LCSS consisted of the three hypothesised domains. Model fit was assessed and prevalence was calculated.
results966 UK-based participants responded (888 for stigma questions), with mean age 48 years (SD: 10.7) and 85% female. Factor loadings for enacted stigma were 0.70-0.86, internalised 0.75-0.84, anticipated 0.58-0.87, and model fit was good. The prevalence of experiencing stigma at least 'sometimes' and 'often/always' was 95% and 76% respectively. Anticipated and internalised stigma were more frequently experienced than enacted stigma. Those who reported having a clinical diagnosis of Long Covid had higher stigma prevalence than those without.
conclusionThis study establishes a scale to measure Long Covid stigma and highlights common experiences of stigma in people living with Long Covid.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.